Defining All In
by JumpingCattleHockey
Summary: Begins a few days after Bon Voyage. Life moves forward as our favorite Stars Hollow residents learn the meaning of home, the importance of family, and what it really means to be "all in".
1. After Everything

_**Disclaimer** : I don't own any of these characters, or the show. If I did, season 6 would've ended quite differently. (I'm from the old-school fic days where one was required to do this or risk being sued or having your content removed)._

 _ **Spoilers** : The whole series. This takes place days after Bon Voyage._

 _ **Author's Notes** : First and foremost, this is not a WIP. I began writing it in the fall of 2015 and just recently (5/2016) finished the final chapter. I'll post a chapter or two as time permits, as it goes through its final phase of editing._

 _This fic was borne of one too many series rewatches on Netflix. I finally got tired of it ending where it did, and decided I wanted to know what happened next, and I really wanted to write something that I would want to read, myself. And this way, I have something to use as my own personal "headcanon" if La Familia Palladino breaks my soul the way Chris Carter did with X-Files season 10._

 _Without further ado, my version of what happened after Bon Voyage, starting with Lorelai's first Friday night dinner..._

* * *

 **Chapter 1: After Everything**

"Lorelai, how's Luke?"

A forkful of salmon paused halfway to her mouth. Of all the topics of conversation Lorelai Gilmore was prepared to discuss with her parents that Friday night, the topic of Luke Danes was not among them.

Fork still hovering, Lorelai maintained her focus on its contents without looking up. It was a perfect bite. A perfect amount of citrusy glaze coating a perfect bite-size portion of salmon.

"Uh... I... uh... Luke? Working, I assume."

"I didn't ask _where_ he was, I asked _how_ he was. I don't think it's a terribly difficult concept to understand." Emily had managed two bites by that point, while Lorelai's fork still hovered indecisively.

Not for the first time, Lorelai found herself missing Rory and the buffer she provided. Earlier, over drinks, the elder Gilmores had been a little more concerned with Lorelai, the inn, and her life in general, than she was used to. Maybe they were trying equally hard to get used to a Rory-less Friday night dinner. Maybe they were genuinely interested. Maybe they were just being nosy.

"Right. He seems well." Perfect. A vague answer. The fork finally reached her lips. For salmon, not one of Lorelai's preferred proteins, it was surprisingly palatable. But no sooner had she begun chewing than Emily replied, catching Lorelai further off guard.

"He _seems_ well? Seems? I would think you'd know more than that, considering the two of you seemed rather close at Rory's party."

Lorelai silently congratulated herself on preventing the fork from clattering dramatically to the plate. Processing her mother's words, she slowly finished chewing, slowly swallowed, and slowly lowered her fork to the plate. Keeping her eyes squarely on the tablecloth in front of her, she took a deep breath.

If the town had seen Luke and Lorelai's interactions before returning to Rory's going away party, they'd given no indication. In fact, she'd definitely noticed that their fellow Stars Hollow residents had been atypically unconcerned with their relationship all week; Lorelai simply assumed they'd managed to slip by unnoticed.

"Emily..." Richard quietly admonished. Despite the disapproval in his voice, he didn't continue, seemingly interested in Lorelai's answer.

"Um. We've… spent some time together… we're talking..."

"Talking. Lorelai, are you and Luke back together?"

"We're... sort of... uh... figuring that out."

Lorelai paused, hoping that answer would do for now. It was the truth, generally speaking. Neither Luke nor Lorelai had been quite sure how to handle the odd third attempt at being a couple. With their history, it wasn't as simple as starting over, nor was it possible to simply pick up where they had left off.

While their time together over the past week was comfortable, there was still a slight hesitation in every kiss and every touch, the issues from the past still hovering over them. Between Rory's departure and Lorelai working tirelessly to secure a massive charity event at the Dragonfly, there simply hadn't been enough time or energy to really talk.

She knew that the progress Emily had made accepting Luke had, understandably, come to a screeching halt - and bolted in the opposite direction - once she saw how hurt Lorelai had been last year. Dreading Emily's reaction to even the tiny bit of information she'd just shared, Lorelai braced herself for the verbal onslaught.

Emily, however, simply replied with, "I see."

Surprised, Lorelai looked up and noticed her mother staring intensely at her. She maintained eye contact for a few seconds until Emily's gaze shifted to Richard, and the two of them shared a long look. Unable to interpret her parents' nonverbal conversation, Lorelai turned her attention back to her salmon, only to find its appeal had significantly diminished.

While pushing the remaining bites around her plate, she found her thoughts drifting back to Stars Hollow and the pie and coffee that awaited her. She was pretty sure she could convince Luke to throw in a burger to make up for the now-disappointing salmon. In fact, she was pretty sure he'd expect it.

After a few moments of pondering Luke, burgers, and the relief of having both back in her life - to say nothing of the coffee - Lorelai smiled to herself, only half-listening to Richard's commentary on the superiority of the latest fish dinner compared to previous attempts. The smile did not go unnoticed by the ever-watchful eyes of Emily Gilmore.

Emily smirked at Richard's diatribe and shook her head. Stubborn man. She never understood why he so often pointed out Lorelai and Emily's similarities when her daughter's bull-headed stubborn streak clearly came from the Gilmore side. And just like Richard, there were times when Lorelai simply wasn't stubborn enough. She watched her daughter slowly maneuvering bits of food around her plate, clearly focused on something - or _someone_ \- else entirely.

Emily was worried about her. Just when she had begun growing accustomed to the idea of Luke in Lorelai's life, the man let everything go. Her daughter breaking down over a relationship was one thing, but actually allowing her mother to witness it was quite another. It was so unlike the strong front Lorelai usually wore around her mother. Emily was certain no one, not even her, Richard, or even Christopher had ever made Lorelai quite so heartsick.

Oh, Christopher. He had always seemed like a good idea in theory. Of all the things Emily Gilmore hated being wrong about, it was Christopher Hayden. He talked a good talk. He always had. However obnoxious it was when he was a teenager, coming from an adult Christopher, he seemed a lot more believable; she was far more susceptible to his charm than she would ever care to admit. She knew she'd held onto the silly fantasy of Lorelai and Christopher being married far longer than she ever should have - even into their short-lived marriage, which Emily knew from the beginning occurred to serve as nothing more than a distraction from Lorelai's feelings for Luke.

Despite that, she hadn't wanted Lorelai to be alone again, especially knowing how much she clearly wanted to be married. Emily had hoped, for both Christopher and Lorelai's sakes, that they could just hang in there long enough for Lorelai to fully get over Luke. She felt deep down, though, there was no way the two would last, even with Lorelai's expertise at dodging her feelings. Lorelai's heart simply hadn't been in it.

Richard sensed that the women at the table had stopped listening. He couldn't blame them. Though things had been better recently, he was so very tired of fish, and despite a decent chef, Emily's strict requirements were making things somewhat repetitive. Worse, Emily wasn't fooling anyone by increasing the amount of times she went out with friends each month. He knew full well that those dinners were to give her a night out with the rich foods he was banned from. Thomas Newberry had seen Emily at a steakhouse just the other night… it was almost as bad as the time they were separated and she was dating that miserable man, Simon McLean.

Perhaps not quite that bad.

But Richard felt that his illogical leap only illustrated how desperate and sad his food options were of late. Thus, it was worth mentioning when his new pescetarian lifestyle exceeded his expectations. The citrus glazed salmon would be allowed to make a return. Rory would certainly speak up in agreement if she were there. After which they would share some story about a favorite restaurant near Yale that had served a similar dish, he would ask about the menu now, and likely express his disappointment over the changes that had occurred over the decades since his youthful excursions there…

Oh, how he missed that girl. Though Rory had skipped a dinner here and there in the past, her distance and lack of return date made her absence far more pronounced. All night, Richard watched Lorelai struggle through long pauses that would normally be filled by a witty remark from Rory, leading into a subject change to deliberately draw the focus from her mother.

Richard often marveled at his granddaughter's ability to fit into so many different ways of life, and find friends among them all. From her outlandish Stars Hollow upbringing to the highly educated students at Yale, from her grandmother's ritzy DAR crowd to her fellow community service workers, Rory delighted and inspired many. Knowing how to fit so well into so many worlds would serve her well as a journalist.

He'd been impressed by the amount of people at her Stars Hollow going away party. While Emily could throw a party with a great many people who were little more than acquaintances, Rory's party was full of several people who had watched a little girl blossom into a successful young woman. He'd grown a certain fondness for the small town while looking at houses with Emily last year, and it gave him a better understanding of his daughter and the woman she'd become.

In a way, the same people that saw Rory grow up had also watched Lorelai grow up… a fact that still continued to be, and may always be, a sore spot for Richard and his wife. He had tried to find ways to connect with his wayward daughter, but so often found the pain of her leaving and his own regrets from the past had a tendency to resurface as anger and frustration.

Things had calmed over the years, his connection to his granddaughter helping strengthen his ties to his daughter and heal the wounds of the past. But he felt they still had quite a journey ahead of them. Tonight's interactions had certainly proven that. Shouldn't his adult daughter be able to talk to her parents about her life, her interests, and her beau without such trepidation?

Richard had never disliked Luke, and never quite understood Emily's outright disdain for the man. Certainly, he could think of ways in which Luke Danes could improve his wealth and business, but he'd never offered any advice he wouldn't have given a fellow businessman at the club, especially one who'd fallen into the business world the way Luke had. He always figured he'd be able to find common ground with Luke.

Despite the agony he knew Luke had put Lorelai through last year, knowing they might be back together pleased Richard. At the party, he'd overheard talk that Luke had stitched together the tent keeping Rory's guests dry. No man would put forth such effort for a woman he didn't love. And Lorelai deserved someone willing to be so dedicated to her and her daughter. He, of all people, understood what it was like to damage a relationship; unlike Emily, Richard felt that Luke and Lorelai both deserved to give each other one more chance.

On their way to the car, after spending a little time at Rory's party, Emily had paused to gaze back at the square filled with her granddaughter's adoring townsfolk for a few moments. Richard's eye had wandered over to the old hardware store turned diner, and was surprised to see his daughter and her former fiancé approach each other. He saw Luke's expression and, not certain how Emily would react, began to reach for her elbow to pull her toward the car. Before his hand could reach her arm, he heard her gasp at the embracing couple.

Richard quietly spoke his wife's name, and was surprised to see her face full of concern as Emily's eyes met his. He encouraged her to leave it be; as he gently tugged her toward their car, he'd stolen one last look at his daughter and Luke. Their kiss had turned into the two simply holding each other in what seemed to be a rather private, emotional moment, and it was certainly not one Lorelai would appreciate her parents observing, even from that distance.

Emotions were running high for everyone that night, it seemed, and Emily's ran rampant as they drove home. The quiet pride she'd held for her granddaughter earlier had suddenly turned into angst and rage toward her daughter's ex-fiancé. Richard let her vent, and when he felt she'd run out of words, he suggested that they keep the couple's display to themselves, let Lorelai come to them with her news on her own if, in fact, there was news to be shared.

Over the course of the week, Emily's feelings about the pair had settled a little, and she'd seemed to agree to his plan. After all, what better way to start off this new era in their family than to give Lorelai room to share it herself when she was ready? Apparently, for Emily, that had meant giving Lorelai time to speak up during drinks and the salad course…

Her father's loud sigh startled Lorelai out of thoughts of coffee and flannel. Apparently, all three Gilmores had fallen down a rabbit hole and gotten lost in their own mental wanderings.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes as she looked around the table. What was going through her parents' heads? I see? What did that even mean? If she was going to have to draw a reaction out of them and find out what was going on, at least that was a familiar skill, and one at which she'd been an expert at since childhood.

"I know, I know. We don't like Luke," she began.

"Lorelai-" Emily warned.

"No, I'm pretty sure we've been here before."

"Lorelai, that's not-"

Lorelai could tell her mother was quickly losing her patience, but was working very hard at keeping it together.

"He drives an old truck, not something shiny made in Europe, his insurance guy is completely untrustworthy-"

"Lorelai!" Emily was leaning forward.

"He drinks nitwit juice."

"LORELAI! Nitwit juice?! Really!"

With that, Emily stood and dropped both hands flat on the table, causing the silverware to rattle.

And, there it was.

"Is your memory so short, Lorelai? Do you not recall how things ended?!"

"Yes. I slept with Christopher."

"It was over before then! Not that that was a _wonderful_ choice on your part, but from the moment you found out about his daughter - and who hides that kind of news from their fiancée?! - I have never seen you so utterly devastated in my life!" Emily slammed her hand down angrily, glaring at Richard as he dared to place his hand over his water glass to prevent it from sloshing over the rim.

Lorelai knew that her relationship with her mother had improved recently, but it always seemed to be an endless dance of "one step forward, ten steps back". Lately, things seemed better than they'd been in decades, but it was still rare for Emily to be so reactive toward someone who had done something to Lorelai. She recalled her mother kicking Christopher out of the house after Sherry got pregnant, but this was different. This wasn't just a mother protecting her upset daughter. Emily Gilmore had clearly been stewing about this, and had very strong feelings about the matter.

But Lorelai had also spent a lot of time thinking about her situation and also had strong feelings about it.

In her quiet moments, Lorelai was either worrying about Rory or mulling over what was happening with Luke. Without the time or energy to devote to discussing what had happened between them, she and Luke had stuck to easier topics over the week, falling into awkward moments whenever the past managed to find its way into their lighthearted chatter. Not wanting to discuss it here, of all places, Lorelai dropped her face into her hands with a groan. She wished she hadn't pushed the matter after all.

"Mom." She moved her head slightly, letting just her eyes peek over her hands, and looked over at Emily. "I know."

"And yet, there you were, making out in front of the whole town! And now you're telling me you're talking about getting back together?! Lorelai, what are you thinking?!"

Richard's brows knotted. This was going too far. "Emily, I think-"

Alas, the women continued, unabated.

"Okay, first of all, we weren't making out, and second, it wasn't in front of the whole-"

"Yes, it was. That… Patricia? She and your neighbor? High-fived before yelling at everyone to turn around and leave you alone!"

Lorelai grimaced. Well, there was her confirmation that the town knew, however confusing it was given their recent behavior. She bit her lip hard and buried her face back in her hands. Her time with Luke that night had been very brief, very emotional, and very private. Still, how had they not realized the majority of Stars Hollow was watching?

The kiss was amazing, and they had both felt the magnitude of the feelings behind it. She'd opened her eyes to find Luke wiping tears from her face she hadn't realized had fallen. Meeting Luke's equally wet eyes, they'd both tried to push back the teary manifestation of their pent up emotions, and moved to hold each other. Shuddering, nervous chuckles had erupted from them both, bringing a bit of levity to the moment. She'd told him she missed him. He'd said the same. He asked about the song. To tease Rory, she admitted, that was, until he had walked in.

Luke had let out a sigh of relief at that, kissed her forehead and told her to stay there while he ran back into the diner. She only had time to acknowledge the abandoned bag of charcoal before he'd returned with a small rectangular box. Lorelai had glanced at him questioningly as she began to open it. He started to mention something about Liz, interrupting himself with an admission that it reminded him of her, and he'd hoped… with the song... but he wasn't sure.

Luke may have had some major issues picking out presents, but he was no slouch when it came to jewelry. He'd helped her put the necklace on, and she turned and kissed him a second time. Emotions swelling once again, she'd pulled back, suddenly feeling the pain of everything that had happened between them over the past year. The look on her face spoke volumes, and Luke immediately knew what was going through her head.

They'd talk. Not now, he'd told her. Not when she still had to deal with saying goodbye to Rory. But soon, and in the meantime they should stop by for breakfast before they went to the airport. Lorelai didn't want to leave his side, but she didn't want to advertise their - whatever they were - either. Instead, she sought out Sookie and Jackson in the crowd while Luke returned to his post at the grill.

Looking back, the crowd had seemed unusually disinterested in anything outside the perimeter of the canopy. But it made no sense. She would have expected a wolf whistle or ten if they'd seen something. Her fellow Stars Hollow residents had always been everything but quiet about her relationship with Luke.

"Why would you go back to him, Lorelai? Nothing changes what happened." Emily pressed, slightly calmer this time.

Lorelai couldn't help but feel she'd brought this discussion on herself. She wanted a reaction, she got one. Just not the one she'd expected.

Emily was still raging inside, Lorelai could tell. And as tempting as it was to fall into old habits and say something to really piss her mother off, Lorelai decided it was time for things to change. Rory wouldn't be there to draw them back together for one reason or another this time. She peeked over her hands again to see Emily's argumentative stance still in place, and decided to be the one to throw the woman off her game this time.

Lorelai was surrendering the fight.

She dropped her hands from her face, and along with it, her walls. She let the exhaustion and multitude of emotions she'd been feeling the past week show through, and looked her mother square in the face as she spoke.

"Mom. I've never stopped loving him." Lorelai took a breath before continuing, "And I am more afraid of getting back together with Luke than you can possibly imagine. But I _have_ to do this."

Emily's face softened as she caught another rare glimpse of her daughter's vulnerability. She sighed and sat back slowly in her chair. A moment later, she asked calmly, "After everything?"

"After everything," Lorelai answered, feeling a little more confident. She knew it wasn't going to be easy, but there really wasn't any other option. They spent years dancing around it, they spent years screwing it up, they'd spent a year without each other. It was because of all of that, not just in spite of it, that she and Luke needed to be with each other.

"Mom... you, of all people, should understand," Lorelai said quietly, tilting her head slightly toward her father.

Emily looked over at Richard, who smiled gently back at her. She couldn't hold back the small smile that slipped through in response. It was true, what Lorelai said. After Trix, after Linnie Lott, after Jason and Floyd, after Simon… they had to be together.

While she understood the feeling… Emily still had her concerns.

But if Lorelai was so sure, she decided she could try… not that it would be easy.

Emily sighed and held her hands up in surrender.

"Well. You know I'll expect him at dinner in a few weeks, as soon as things are official."


	2. Waking Sleeping Dogs

**Chapter 2: Waking Sleeping Dogs**

Lorelai sighed in annoyance.

The diner was dark, locked up, there was no coffee brewing, and Luke was nowhere in sight, but his truck was parked out front. She was pretty sure she didn't imagine the conversation with him earlier:

"See you after dinner with your parents?" He'd asked.

"With coffee and pie?" She'd replied with a grin.

Now, a kiss in response to that wasn't necessarily an affirmative answer, but she was pretty sure that's what Luke had implied. Maybe he meant for her to head directly upstairs. She was hoping the night would lead that way eventually, anyway. But the upstairs windows were completely dark as if Luke had decided to go to bed early...

Frowning, Lorelai shifted the jeep into drive and headed home. She was pretty sure she still had one last brownie from the leftovers Sookie had sent home with her a few days prior.

"Paul Anka, I'm home." She called as she walked in the door.

No dog.

Odd.

Lorelai walked into the living room. Hanging over the arm of her sofa was a pair of socked feet and a furry tail. She smiled at the quiet duet of snores, and was suddenly distracted by a friendly smell. Luke had made coffee. She slipped off her heels, and headed into the kitchen, inhaling deeply. A Luke's takeout bag sitting on the counter made her smile - a girl could get used to this again so easily, especially after an exhausting Friday night dinner.

She took a long sip of her freshly poured coffee and set her mug down on the table before heading upstairs to change into something more comfortable. She paused on the stairs on her way back down, gazing into the living room at the boys. The sight in front of her was, at one point in their lives, a regular occurrence.

Luke would often wait for her after a Friday night dinner or late night at the inn and doze off while watching a "ball" of some sort on TV, always with the dog he claimed he didn't like. He put on a good act, but when it came down to it, she knew he'd bonded with the furry little beast.

She also knew Paul Anka had missed his presence over the past year. He tolerated Christopher, but never seemed to grow too attached. He probably knew Chris was related to the screechy, tail-pulling youngster he avoided at all costs. Luke, on the other hand, had saved the dog's life, made him a cheddar omelette, and continually catered to his odd food preferences.

Kneeling down next to the sofa, Lorelai gently placed her hand on Luke's chest, enjoying the feel of his warm flannel against her skin.

Luke slowly opened his eyes, smiling sleepily as he focused on the face in front of him. A man could get used to this. "Hey, you're home," he acknowledged as he placed his hand on hers, greeting her with a soft kiss. He noticed she'd found the coffee.

"And so are you. I thought we were meeting at the diner?" Lorelai asked.

"It was dead, and I knew Paul Anka would probably need to be let out anyway…" Her smile was the exact reaction he'd been going for. He nodded toward the kitchen, "I brought you a burger just in case. How was dinner?"

Lorelai's smile faded, "Weird. Exhausting... I miss her."

Luke sat up and pulled Lorelai onto the couch and into a hug. She settled into his chest, relaxing for a few minutes, then pressed her face into his shoulder, and muttered something he couldn't understand.

"What? Lorelai, I can't understand you with your face-"

"I said they know. The town. They saw."

"Know…? Us? What did they see and when?"

"Rory's party. Us. Outside the diner."

"Are you sure? Since Chri- since you broke-" he stuttered for a moment, giving up on that particular sentence, and choosing instead, "The town talks. About us. All the time."

"And did you happen to notice when that talking stopped?" Lorelai asked, pulling back to look at his face.

Luke frowned in thought. She had a point. Babette and Patty had been less than subtle in their conversations recently. That is, up until this past week. Strange.

"Huh. Since when aren't they busy sticking their noses and opinions in everyone's lives?"

"Exactly. I don't get it. But we're not flying as far under the radar as we thought. Maybe they're planning another town meeting and Taylor threatened to bust out the charts again, or-" Lorelai was silenced by Luke holding a finger to her mouth.

"Don't say the T word. I'm around that man too much as it is. You want me to heat up your burger?"

"Yes please."

Luke stood and reached down to pull Lorelai to her feet. "Tell me about this weird, exhausting dinner."

* * *

"And the awkward silences? Luke, we spent half the time waiting for Rory to interject and bridge the gap. We didn't have that problem at every other dinner I've gone to without her. Why is it so different now?" Lorelai lamented from the kitchen table.

"It'll get better." Luke replied as he joined her at the table with a steaming mug of tea.

"Yeah, well. Hopefully they'll improve in a few weeks for your sake."

"My sake? What's in a few weeks?"

"Emily requests your presence." Lorelai raised her eyebrow.

"You _told_ them? You told _them_? Lorelai, we-"

"Hey, have we met? I told them nothing. They told me, Luke. My mother was the one to spy on both us, and the reactions of our town as she and my dad were leaving the party. How else would I have found out that the town knows?"

Luke grunted in annoyance, pausing to consider Gilmore dinners for a moment. Among the things he felt they handled poorly last time was his lack of involvement in Lorelai's family - both he and Lorelai had kept too many different worlds.

He smirked, "Well, I suppose I should check in with my insurance guy before then."

Lorelai chuckled briefly at the memory, but quickly sobered, recalling the angst she was constantly feeling during that period in time.

Luke sensed the abrupt shift in her mood. "Hey. You okay?"

Lorelai glanced down, chewing and swallowing the last bite of her burger, and taking a long, slow breath before answering.

"Luke." She looked at him, the expression on her face matching the seriousness of her tone. It was time.

"I know."

"I'm scared to, um..."

"Me too..."

Lorelai bit her lower lip, trying to decide where to start. She thought back to the point where things really hit bottom. "They wanted to buy us a house, you know."

"What? Who?"

"My parents. It was beautiful. And I knew we were over by then. I broke down in front of my mom in a real estate office, and sobbed on her shoulder for a good hour." Lorelai admitted, cringing inwardly at the memory.

"We weren't over, Lorelai. And you should've said something."

"I was waiting for you. Everyone told me to put my foot in the door and keep you from constantly shutting it on me, and I didn't. I waited because you'd asked me to, and I knew I couldn't push you. And then April's birthday… Luke, you hurt me so badly that day. I _still_ can't believe- comparing me to a cartoon character?"

"I was afraid - so afraid - of screwing things up. I'm sorry, I never should have said that. It was stupid, and it wasn't true."

"But that wasn't even the worst of it. The party was amazing, but rather than stand up for what you and I pulled off - together - and celebrate how well things had gone with me and April - you let Anna dictate how you and I should be living our lives as a couple. That, Luke? That night? That was when I knew it was over. If I pushed, it was over. If I didn't push, it would stay the way things were forever, and I couldn't live like that anymore."

"That's when you started pulling away," Luke observed, finally putting some of the pieces together.

"I didn't know what to do. I was doomed either way. And then my mom showed me the house. Even with my breakdown, I think she still figured we'd pull it off somehow. But I couldn't handle any of it anymore, I couldn't handle seeing you. If I didn't see you, I couldn't be reminded how much it all hurt. I wound up crashing at Sookie's that night. And then at Friday night dinner... Christopher was there. And a therapist... or psychologist my parents invited to set up with Chris."

"Your parents set... him... up with someone other than you?"

"Luke…" she chided lightly. "They were buying us a house. At that point, my parents were more sure of us than I was. I was such a head case that by the time dinner ended, I needed to unload so badly, it didn't matter to whom. And I wound up sitting in the back of the poor woman's car, like it was a therapist's couch, pouring out my soul. She pointed out that it didn't sound like I had you anyway by that point, so what was there to lose?"

"Lorelai…"

"I didn't have you, Luke. You didn't see it. You didn't even see me anymore. You hadn't in months."

"I saw you!"

"You didn't _see_ me, Luke. You didn't see anything I was going through. Everyone else did! Even that stupid speech I gave at Lane's wedding reception didn't come as a surprise to anyone. They all knew I wasn't a part of April's life, and they all knew I was falling apart. And they were so worried about that speech being the straw that broke the camel's back, Patty convinced the entire town to make up some lie about a song before I even got to breakfast the next morning. I was almost relieved that it had happened, so you'd know, and maybe it would open your eyes to what was going on."

Luke grimaced, "I found out eventually. Kirk gave me a video of it after we… well, after."

"Oh, god. Why would he-?!"

"I didn't know it was that bad. He said I needed to know. I think Lulu might've had something to do with it, he didn't really seem eager to share it so much as... obligated. Lorelai, you needed to say something."

"I couldn't push you."

"You keep saying that. Why would you say that? Why couldn't you talk to me?"

"Think back, Luke. My parents' vow renewal? Yes, I should have said something about spending time with Chris after his father died."

"Spending the night with Chris after his father died."

"Whatever. I screwed up with that, we already know that. And we've covered that a million times. But what happened that sealed the deal to end it that time?"

"I don't know. I was upset and I needed time to process and you kept push…" Luke's eyes went wide. "Shit. Lorelai..."

"And then Rory. Every single time I pushed too hard, she bolted. And by the time I got her back that last time, you were hiding April from me."

"I wasn't hiding her. I didn't… I didn't know... how to... ugh, you were just so happy with Rory coming back, and I didn't want that to bring you down."

"Hiding her is what brought me down, Luke! I was a teenager when I had to tell not just my boyfriend about my kid, but my parents, Christopher's parents, my friends, my school, and of course, deal with the scrutiny and judgement of a whole lot of society people I didn't even know. Yes, Luke, I know what it's like to have a kid I didn't expect and have to tell people I love about it."

"It's not the same thing."

"No, you're right. What you had to do was a hell of a lot easier. Not only did I have to deal with Hartford and that bullshit, but I arrived as a teenager in a new town with a baby I had to introduce as my daughter. In no way did I look old enough to be on my own with a kid. It wasn't easy. There were judging looks for years. You even saw what happened to me after that career day at the high school. I still watch people do the math when I tell them I have an adult daughter. But you? This town loves you, Luke. You had the support of everyone around you. Most importantly, you had my support, and you didn't want it."

"I did want that. I just needed-"

"-time. I know. Which you had-"

"-Too much of. I know that. I know that _now_. Everything got off on the wrong foot from the second April walked into the diner. I should have told you as soon as she ripped a piece of hair from my head. I was freaked out and made a really bad judgement call. You found out in the worst way possible, and I freaked out even more, and…" Luke sighed. "I can't go back and change that, Lorelai. I'm sorry, I really am."

"I know. But we promised each other no secrets. You held me to a standard you couldn't even hold yourself to. You cutting me out so easily and so completely still terrifies me."

They both paused, taking a few shaky breaths.

"He... Chris... was the one thing that always scared me." Luke confessed.

"He shouldn't have." Lorelai regretted it the instant she said it.

"Shouldn't he? How many times, Lorelai? We were going to paint the diner. Chris shows up. You lose your head over him and forget about me. His dad dies, which I, of all people, would understand and pity even _him_ for. But you spend the night with him, and decide not to tell me for weeks. Your parents hate me, your mom invites him to try and ruin things. As I'm finding out and dealing with him even being there, you tell me you spent the night with him. I know, I know, not _spent_ the night with him, but you'd never even told me it happened. Then, I'm feeling uneasy enough about that and wondering how to process all of that, and he pulls out the one thing, the _one thing_ I was terrified of - that you'd eventually wind up with him."

Lorelai closed her eyes. "And then…"

"And then, you did. Whatever was going to happen between us because of the dumb way I was handling April should've happened between us without his involvement. I would have rather had you just tell me it was too hard to handle anymore than to lose you to _him_."

He paused, as they both let the depth of the pain they caused, and the pain they felt sink in.

"We hurt each other, Lorelai. A lot."

"I never thought of it that way. I am so sorry, Luke."

"Well... I never told you."

"And I never told you," she paused, considering that she had told him, her delivery was just haphazard. "Well, not when I should have. Why didn't you go after me? That night I finally came to you?"

"Why did you go to him?"

"I was lost. I needed a friend. I couldn't go to Rory. I couldn't go to Sookie again. I needed someone who would listen, who would care. Chris, no matter what other issues we've had, never stopped caring. Luke, I couldn't see anything by that point but how much pain I was in. It's not an excuse, but as far as I was concerned, we were done. You let me leave." The night had been such a blur for her, but the angry, hurt feelings were still there, easily accessible, even after the last year. "You let me leave," she whispered.

"I was an idiot. And I didn't realize how much of one until the next day, because I didn't think you really _meant_ now or never. Maybe throwing your ring at my head would've woken me up. I don't know."

Lorelai blew her nose into her napkin and used her fingertips to brush the wetness from her face. She wasn't sure when the tears started, but they didn't seem intent on stopping. She buried her face in her hands. How could it still hurt so much? The hurt he'd caused, the hurt she'd caused… how was it so easy to hurt again so deeply after so much time had passed?

"Lorelai."

She felt Luke kneel next to her. He pulled her against his chest, holding her and rubbing her back until the sobs began to calm. It was beginning to hit Luke, as he recalled the last time he'd seen her this upset… that gesture is all it would have taken that awful night she went to Christopher. But would they still be here now? He wasn't sure. There still would've been so much untangling to do. He did know one thing, though, and he needed Lorelai to know as well:

"We're here now. We're here now, and I'm not going anywhere."

She pulled back a little as her hand found his. They both watched their hands as she laced their fingers together. Then, she looked up at him, making sure she had his full attention. "I'm all in, Luke. I'm not going anywhere, either. I can't. I love you too much. I think that's why it all still hurts, even after all this time."

Luke stood, pulling her up and fully against him. "I love you. And I hate that it hurts this much. I wish we'd done this right the first time. Or even... that night. Going after you. It shouldn't have been an afterthought."

He held her against his chest as he pressed his lips to the top of her head. Much the same way they'd held each other at Rory's party, but this time, several hundred pounds of emotion lighter, and without half the town standing mere feet away.

They stayed that way until he felt Lorelai shift, her lips finding his neck. His hands held her tightly, a familiar warmth spreading between them, as their lips connected.

Their kisses deepened, growing more intense until Lorelai quietly moaned, pulling back enough to make eye contact.

"Luke…" she gave in and kissed him one more time before continuing, "I'm exhausted and right now I don't have the energy to-"

"God, me either."

"But would you stay?"

"I told you, I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

Lorelai awoke in the early light of dawn to find her pillow was breathing. No, Luke was breathing. Luke was breathing, was in her bed, and she'd just slept soundly through the night for the first time in a long time. She lifted her head up, watching her hand move with each of Luke's breaths.

She knew he'd be waking soon to head to the diner, and was glad to have a moment to take in his presence before he left. She smiled contentedly and laid her head back down on his chest, leaving a gentle kiss as she did so. Luke, without waking, tightened his arm around her slightly. She closed her eyes, letting the rise and fall of his chest lull her back to sleep.

Luke blinked awake as sunlight filled the room... his and Lorelai's room. He'd missed this room. No matter what had happened, this was still half his room, though he couldn't recall the last time he'd woken up there. He knew it was before their breakup. He'd never managed to fully move in.

He cringed, realizing how little time he'd spent there after April entered his life. To say nothing of how he'd let it impact their sex life. But even when they were together, Lorelai seemed so sad and distant. He sighed. Lorelai was right. He saw it all happening, but never really _saw_ it. It was like knowing there was a coffee table in front of Lorelai's couch, seeing the coffee table in front of the couch, but still managing to run into it anyway. Seeing and acknowledging were two very different things.

Luke had never understood why she didn't tell him how unhappy she was, but it made a lot more sense after their talk last night. Of course she'd be afraid to push him until she was falling apart. He still felt like an idiot for being so blind, and it hurt him to realize he'd deliberately and selfishly ignored how much she was hurting. The way they'd danced around major problems out of fear of ruining things ended up being the very thing that ruined them. Poetic, really, and Luke had never been one for poetry.

They had to be better about addressing issues that came up, no matter how much pain they caused… the gangrene that grew by ignoring the pain was far worse. And amputation was no longer going to be an option. He wasn't going to let either of them be removed from this relationship ever again.

They still had things to sort out, and he had some processing to do. Though he doubted he had any reason to worry about Christopher trying to intervene at this point, the idea of even having to share the same breathing space with him in the future made him tense. He imagined Lorelai might feel the same way about Anna, and possibly even April.

Nothing could be done about these things presently, and the last place any of those people belonged was in their bedroom. Especially when there was someone else physically present in the room to focus on.

Luke gazed down at the woman sprawled across his chest, gently pushing her hair behind her ear. He saw a smile flit across her face as he did so, and her eyes flickered open to gaze back.

"Hi," Lorelai whispered.

"Hi," he responded, smiling back as she moved up for a kiss.

She stretched, rolling off of him, waking up stiff limbs. Luke was still here. The sun was up. Luke was still here and the sun was up? She rolled back over and stared at him, confused. He stared back, confused by her expression. Words… right. "Luke? Diner? Ugh, brain... still waking up."

"Cesar and Zack opened. Fatherhood has been good for Zack's sense of responsibility and he's been trying to squeeze in more hours before he goes on tour. And I might've had a feeling we'd need a little extra sleep this morning."

"We, huh?" A teasing smile spread across Lorelai's face. "Did you have plans that might lead to the two of us requiring extra sleep, Mr. Danes?"

Luke smirked and flipped Lorelai onto her back, letting his actions answer that question for him.


	3. New Beginnings

**Chapter 3: New Beginnings**

Rory Gilmore was dancing in her motel room. It was up. Her first online article was up and published! There was even a little thumbnail of her face next to the byline. She reached for her phone to call her mother again.

Straight to voicemail. Again.

She frowned. Her mom had been picking up before the second ring lately.

She'd tried calling earlier that morning so they could check the site together, and her phone had gone straight to voicemail then, too.

What was this?

She tried the house phone again.

Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Machine.

Rory hit the "end call" button and stared at her phone, concerned. Well, now what? Should she call the inn? Luke's? Luke's might be awkward. She really wasn't sure where the two of them stood, and her mother changed the subject every time she brought it up. She wished she knew if that was a good thing or a bad thing. If it was a bad thing, calling Luke's would be awkward for both her and Luke. If it was a good thing, well, interrupting a lazy Saturday morning would be mortifying. The inn was her best option.

"Hello, Dragonfly Inn, this is Michel speaking. How may I help you?"

"Hey Michel, it's Rory."

"Oh. Rory. How unlucky. Your mother is _not_ 'ere."

"She's not? Did she have the day off?"

"I do not know. She and Sookie. They come, they go, they do not _tell_ me things."

"She's with Sookie?"

"No. Not today. Sookie is 'ere."

"Okaaaay. Michel, can you put Sookie on, then?"

He sighed deeply, as if she had asked him to solve all the world's problems at once, and put her on hold.

Rory caught sight of her computer's screen again, grinned, and bounced a little while she waited.

"Hi, honey! Your mom's not in today," Sookie's voice cheerfully announced.

"Hey Sookie! Michel told me as much. Do you know where she might be?"

"I think at home... but maybe Luke's? Did you try her cell?"

"Yeah, her cell has been going straight to voicemail, and she isn't answering the home phone. I figured I'd try to catch her at work... but... the last time she was this incommunicado… she um… she was... not in a good place when I finally got ahold of her." Rory cringed, recalling how quickly things fell apart after their brief talk on the day of Logan's graduation last year.

"Aw, hon. I really don't think you have anything to worry about this time. I can swing by your house in a bit, if you'd like. I've got these soufflés ready to go in, and they always prefer if I'm not around while they do their thing. I was going to go check on Jackson and the kids anyway, I don't mind stopping by your Mom's for a bit."

"You really think she might be at Luke's? Are things good with Mom and Luke, Sookie? I can never get her to tell me anything."

"She's been quiet as a mouse! I mean, after that kiss, I figured... well… but there's a lot of history there. But then, they've seemed pretty friendly… so…"

Rory raised her eyebrows at that. Her mom had said earlier this week that she hadn't talked about the kiss with anyone other than Luke, and didn't plan to change that just yet. She'd wanted to deal with things without the town's interference. Rory leaned back against the desk.

"Oh, she told you about the kiss?"

"Oh, no. I don't think she knows I know. That the town knows. We saw the whole thing."

"The _town_ knows?! But… wait. How did I miss this?! The whole town saw?!"

"Oh, Rory. It was a _good_ kiss-" Rory was suddenly glad to have missed it. "- _such_ a good kiss! But Patty's been telling everyone to leave them alone, because the town intervening really hadn't helped matters before, and I think she still feels guilty about lying to Luke about your mom's speech at Lane's wedding. And she thought everyone should back off and give them room to figure things out. I can't say I disagree, these people can be a little nutty. I heard she even blackmailed East Side Tillie to keep her quiet, and I'm not sure what she said to Taylor, but he's been avoiding Luke all week! Even Jackson thinks it's serious enough to keep his big mouth shut.

"And I haven't even brought it up to her. I've been hoping she'd talk to me about it herself, but we've been slammed, and she's been in meetings trying to get the inn to host some huge thing Patty got her roped into, and with my maternity leave starting soon, we haven't had time to talk much. I'm not sure I would've been able to refrain from dragging her aside and interrogating her otherwise!" Sookie giggled before continuing more seriously, "Rory, I'm sure everything's okay."

"Okay. Well, I guess I'll try the diner. Thanks, Sookie."

"Anytime, hon! Hey! How are things going with you?"

"Good. Great, actually. But I was kinda hoping to talk to my mom about everything first…"

"Oooh, yay! Okay, kiddo, you get busy calling the diner. I'll tell her to call you if I run into her before you reach her. Bye, Rory!"

"Bye, Sookie. And thanks again."

Rory ended the call and tapped her foot against the leg of the desk as she scrolled through her contacts. She paused for a moment before selecting the 'Luke's (diner)' entry.

"Hey, this is Luke's! What's up!?" Rory snickered at Zack's casual greeting.

"Does Luke know you answer the phone like that, Mr. Van Gerbig?"

"Uhhh. May I ask who's calling?"

She could hear the nervousness in Zack's voice. Figuring she should let her best friend's husband off the hook, Rory laughed, "Zack, it's just Rory. I'm guessing Luke isn't there, though?"

"Rory! HEY! Yeah, no, Luke's not here. I've been trying to get him to let me open and stuff, and he comes up to me yesterday asking if I want to run the breakfast and lunch shifts with Cesar. Y'know, boss around some of the new guys. It's been pretty crazy, but we killed it. Uh, in a good way."

"That's great, Zack, do you know where he might be? Is he upstairs?"

"Nah, I had to go up there this morning to grab a new box of order pads and he wasn't up there. I know he closed early last night, though. Kirk asked to have pie with his breakfast since the diner was closed when he came for dessert last night. Weirdo. Luke's truck's out front, but I haven't seen him. I can leave a message for him if you want."

The truck was out front? So he either got a ride somewhere, or was within walking distance. The house was within walking distance… this was looking good, even if it meant having to delay talking to her mom.

"No thanks, Zack. Not a big deal. Hey, what time do the boys nap?"

"They should be out by now. Hey, you should call Lane!"

"I was thinking I just might do that. Bye Zack."

"Bye Rory. Give the man a high five for me, if you see him."

Rory grinned, ending the call. She had to tell someone or she was going to burst. She would never hear the end of it if she called her grandparents before her mother. Lane it was.

She hit the speed dial for one Mrs. Van Gerbig, already bouncing excitedly as her oldest friend picked up.

* * *

Lorelai sighed happily as Paul Anka trotted alongside her in the afternoon sun. The previous night's deluge of emotions seemed so far removed from the joyful morning she'd had.

They'd had.

Things were good.

Really, really good.

They'd tackled the most painful parts of their past, and were moving forward. Later that morning, after Luke shared some of the thoughts he'd had while waiting for her to wake up, and they agreed that they would handle whatever came up from here on out as it came up, each making the other promise that this time there really _wouldn't_ be any secrets between them, no matter how much it hurt to talk about - kids, doubts, fears - they had to communicate. She couldn't wait to finally tell Rory.

Lorelai walked back into the house to find a freshly showered Luke cleaning up their breakfast dishes in the kitchen. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him from behind.

Luke paused to place his hands atop hers as she nuzzled his back.

"You didn't have to clean up everything yourself," Lorelai chided.

"What, and leave it waiting for me tonight?" Although they'd often shared in post-meal cleanup in the past, it was hardly rare for Lorelai to avoid it entirely.

Lorelai pulled back in surprise, "You're coming back tonight?"

He turned around. "Yes. To pick you up for our date. There's one small issue of having to get back to the diner after so I can close up, but if I know my date well enough, I believe she'll be requesting a second dessert to go with her coffee anyway."

"You _do_ know your date well enough." Lorelai grinned.

"Then, I'm gonna get over to the diner now so I can be back here in time to wait for you to finish getting ready."

"Ha. Ha."

She followed him out the door, and threw a quick glance toward Babette's open windows. She could swear she saw a few blonde curls next to one of them.

Time to test the waters.

As Luke descended the porch steps, she shouted, "Hey!" and followed him down, pulling him in for a long and slow goodbye kiss once she reached him. Luke cocked his head, shooting her an amused look as they pulled apart. She motioned her head toward Babette's house and shrugged. Luke chuckled and shook his head at his crazy town as he headed in the direction of the diner.

Lorelai wrapped her arms around herself, grinning as she watched Luke's retreating figure. Things were different. She would never say that the events that had transpired between them and the time they spent apart had been necessary, but everything that brought them to this place gave her a certainty about them that she'd lacked in their previous attempts at a relationship. No more nervousness about losing one of her most important friendships. No more fears of outside forces intervening.

Lorelai headed inside, excited to finally feel comfortable enough to talk to Rory about where things stood with Luke. Among the many mistakes she'd made in the past was turning to her young and less-experienced daughter for relationship advice - she'd never stopped regretting letting Rory cover for her after she'd spent time with Christopher after Straub's death.

She frowned at the lack of messages on her answering machine: a telemarketer, three hang-ups, and Sookie asking how her day off was going, and to call if she had a spare moment to chat. The problem with talking to Sookie was that the biggest town gossip next to the members of "Hello Magazine" was Jackson Belleville; she knew that anything she told Sookie about Luke would likely be relayed to Jackson, and onto the town. And she was really curious to see how long it would take what Babette had just witnessed to get back to her. No, Sookie would have to wait, even though she knew her friend would be overjoyed at the latest developments.

She dug through her purse, letting out a "GAH!" as she discovered her cell phone's battery was dead. She plugged it in, reached for her home phone, and dialed Rory's cell.

"Where have you been, young lady?!" Rory answered.

"Not even a hello? Who raised you!?"

"Someone with even less manners."

"Meanie. Sorry, kid, I forgot to charge my cell phone."

"Mmmhmm. Except no one answered the home phone either, and I have something very important to talk to you about, missy."

"News? Did you hang out with Senator Obama?"

"Nope. My first article was published! With minimal edits!"

"Ahhhhh! Rory!" Both Lorelais were bouncing in place, unable to contain their excitement. "But isn't that fast?"

"Not for internet content. This was slow, actually. This stuff has to go live a lot faster than print does. And there was a little gap between the last guy and me, but they tried to give me a second to get used to things. The next ones will be even faster. It's a lot different than anything I've done before."

"How can I see it?!"

"I emailed you the link. Go! Read!"

Lorelai retrieved her laptop. There _were_ a few good things that had come from her brief marriage to Christopher. Among the upgraded TV, there was now also high speed internet and wifi.

"Oooh! I have email! I'm guessing you _aren't_ the penis enlargement one… aha. Rory Gilmore. Subject: CALL ME FIRST."

She clicked the email to open and read the contents aloud, "'Do not scroll down until you've called your daughter.' Geez. This thing just keeps scrolling. Where's the link?"

"Well, I wanted to have a moment together _before_ you saw the link in case you checked your email before I got ahold of you. Just keep hitting the 'page down' button until you see text."

Lorelai finally reached the link and clicked. She was silent as she read the byline, touching her finger to the screen as a thumbnail of Rory's face appeared next to it. Her daughter was officially a published member of the press corps.

"Oh, Rory. I'm so proud of you."

"Actually, it's not even that great. It was a slow week."

Her article covered the highlights of the Senator's interactions, and focused heavily on the reactions of the people of the towns he visited, including many young, excited hopefuls who would be visiting the polls for the first time in their lives next November.

"It _is_ great. You made a slow week sound pretty inspirational."

"Well, thank you," Rory grinned, pleased with mother's reaction. Hearing an odd noise, she pressed the phone closer to her ear, "Mom are you printing this?"

"Ohhhh, you bet. One copy for me, two for the Dragonfly, and one for Luke."

"Luke _who?_ Do we _know_ a Luke? I have not _heard_ of a _Luke_." Rory teased.

"Funny." Lorelai began recounting the long and agonizing Friday night dinner, and her talk with Luke afterward, noting his agreement to stay the night.

"Wow. So Luke has been walking around in my kitchen naked again."

Lorelai did not recall doing much _walking_ while naked in the kitchen this morning, and couldn't hold back teasing Rory a little, "Not _walking_ , but now you know why I couldn't get to the phone."

"Aw man!" Rory wrinkled her nose, trying desperately to send her brain to a field of unicorns and rainbows and butterflies. It wasn't the first time her mother had teased her with unnecessary detailed hints at her love life, but it never failed to gross her out, especially once it was Luke her mother was referring to. At the same time, she was admittedly glad to hear there _was_ a love life worth mentioning.

Lorelai laughed, "Well, don't use 'naked' and 'Luke' in the same sentence next time."

"I'll remember that," Rory grumbled before pausing. She took on a more serious tone, "Mom? I'm really glad. I know it's been a rough few days, and last night was probably a lot harder than you just made it sound."

"It would have been worse had we kept dragging it out. We still have a lot of unraveling to do, but we acknowledged that. Luke made a disgusting analogy about avoiding gangrene and amputation by dealing with wounds immediately."

"That _is_ disgusting. But he is right about that. Hey, did you know that everyone knows about you two?"

"Did Babette call you?!"

"No, I called the inn looking for you, and Sookie said she saw you and Luke at my party. I still don't know how _I_ missed that kiss, by the way."

"So, Sookie's in on it, too? Does Jackson know?!"

"Yep."

"Okay, does anyone _not_ know?"

"Davey, I think. Maybe Martha. You never know with her. She's a sneaky one."

"Okaaaaay. And they're not talking about it, because…?"

"They care." Rory sighed, "Mom, I know I wasn't there for you enough last year-"

"Rory, you were finishing your last year of college. Not just college. Yale. And playing catch-up, on top of it."

"I know, but I didn't get how bad things really were, and I should've said something."

"I wasn't really up to talk about it, kid," Lorelai replied softly.

"Maybe. But I know everyone feels pretty bad about how stuff went down between you two. I guess Patty's been stashing away a lot of blackmail potential over the years because she's told everyone to stay away and they're actually afraid of her enough to listen."

"Even Taylor?"

" _Especially_ Taylor. Look. Mom. Don't worry about the town. I think that's supposed to be the point. You're supposed to focus on you and Luke and not worry about the gossip or having to be anything other than whatever you are. What are you, anyway?"

"Together. Nothing else matters right now."

"Aww. It's nice to see you so content. So much better than the _dis_ content."

"Speaking of discontent, you should call your grandparents. I think my dad almost cried last night he missed you so much."

"They're next on the list. Grandpa's still at home, right?"

"If he's not, his prison ward will let him know. Tell her to lighten up on the food a bit, huh? He spent twenty minutes ranting about fish last night."

"I'll do my best. Bye, Mom. I love you. And keep your phone charged!"

"Blah blah blah. I love you too."

Lorelai held the phone to her chest for a few more minutes, letting the pride flow through her. There were very few moments of genuine happiness she'd experienced over the last few years without something awful lurking in the back of her mind, casting a shadow over it.

Rory was off to adulthood. She and Luke were back together. Things even seemed to be going okay with her parents, odd as that was.

Whatever trials were ahead for all of them, right now, things were good.

Not perfect, but it was certainly off to a promising start.


	4. Salome & Mary Queen of Scots

**Chapter 4: Salome and Mary Queen of Scots are Banished**

 _Two months later..._

"Stop staring."

"I'm not staring. I'm _gazing_."

"Well, stop."

"But the thing is, Luke, if I weren't _gazing_ just now, I wouldn't have noticed that you skipped a button. And you might not have either, but I can tell you that Emily Gilmore would have noticed, and then what would be the point of this nice, new shirt your girlfriend picked out for you when all Emily is going to see is awkwardly buttoned apparel?"

Lorelai pushed herself off Luke's bed to fix the buttons of his shirt. He'd figured he was going to need more dress shirts if he was going to be deliberately subjecting himself to the Gilmore family on most Friday nights. He had laughed at Lorelai's ecstatic reaction when he suggested the shopping trip earlier in the week. She was wearing one of the dresses that had somehow managed to sneak into the armload of clothes she'd picked out for him.

He gazed down, his focus more on the woman than her dress. Two months later, it was still surreal to him that they'd been given this second chance. Third chance, technically, but who was counting? He realized it was still early, but it wasn't like they were starting over, rather, just doing some retrofitting to fix the flaws they'd both created in the past.

"Stop _staring_." Lorelai returned his earlier comment with a mocking tone.

" _I'm_ gazing. And now _you're_ delaying. Were you going to button my shirt back up?"

"I'm still thinking about it. It's a nice shirt. But what it covers is even _nicer_." She smoothed her hands over his undershirt. His hands caught hers before they could migrate further south.

"Lorelai," he warned, "don't start something you can't finish."

She pouted slightly, leaving her hands on his chest, and leaned in to kiss him slowly, which he eagerly returned. But someone had to keep things under control, and as Luke felt her hands starting to slide out from under his, he gripped them harder and slowly pulled back from the kiss.

"Nuh-uh. If we get there late, we'll never hear the end of it."

"Yeah, yeah. I still can't believe you're so excited about doing this." Lorelai shook her head slightly.

"I'm not excited about this. I told you. We're in this together, and we're doing it right this time."

Lorelai slipped the final button through the hole and smoothed down his collar, kissing his chin before walking away to grab her purse. "What really bothers me about tonight is that I don't know what we're about to walk into."

"How so?" Luke asked as he reached for his jacket, following her out the door of his apartment and down the stairs to the diner.

"I told you how weird she's been about you. She may still be planning a beheading for all I know."

"Mine or yours?"

"Yours," she replied with a smirk. "She actually seems to like me at the moment."

Lorelai watched the people in the diner carefully as they walked past them on their way out the door. As expected, the regulars grew overly obsessed with their plates, taking no note of the departing couple. Still? She made eye contact with Luke who rolled his eyes and reached for her hand as they exited, walking to his truck parked a few buildings down.

Luke had been unusually demonstrative toward her lately. She wasn't sure if it was his way of flaunting their relationship to the town, knowing its residents were still under Miss Patty's gag order, or if he was taking every advantage to remind them both that they were together. Either way, she wasn't complaining. Any time spent touching Luke in any way was a good thing as far as she was concerned.

As they drove out of Stars Hollow, Lorelai wondered what her daughter was up to. Rory's cell service had been spotty the past several weeks as a result of driving through towns with more corn fields than cell towers.

Combined with Rory's endless to-do list of stories, deadlines, and meetings, it meant only brief exchanges via text message when Rory came across a signal, which wasn't often. Lorelai wasn't the biggest fan of text messages - too much work for not enough words - and the lack of contact with her daughter was nagging at her.

She wanted to know if Rory had made any friends yet, if she'd heard from Logan, if her editor was still interesting to work with. She hoped Rory was having some fun and wasn't too overly focused on work. Even when Rory first arrived at Yale, Lorelai had needed to reel her back in a little and remind her to enjoy the experience.

She wondered if she was happy.

She wondered if worrying about your adult daughter so much was normal.

And she wondered how much time it would take before Friday night dinners didn't also mean an empty ache in her chest.

Remembering she wasn't alone this time, Lorelai placed her hand on Luke's thigh. He glanced over and gave her a quick, reassuring smile, reaching down for a moment to squeeze her hand. She couldn't figure out why he wasn't more nervous. Though Emily had been the one to remind Lorelai that he needed to be "re-introduced to the family" (again), her general tone regarding Luke still held an edge of bitterness. This was hardly going to be a welcoming environment. It was easier back when Emily was implying his diner served roadkill, and that was saying something.

Lorelai played with the seam on the inside his pant leg, her thoughts adrift. Luke had been at her place every night the past few weeks except for last night. She'd had a late night at the inn, and he'd had early deliveries to attend to. When she woke up this morning, Lorelai finally noticed how much of his stuff had already migrated to her house.

She was pleased to discover the bathroom looking much the same as it had shortly after the remodel had completed - like it belonged to _them_ and not just _her_. She wasn't sure how or when so many of Luke's belongings had returned, but they were a very welcome addition.

That the room had been made specifically for her and Luke to share was a fact she had to make a constant effort to ignore when Christopher was there. Now, it seemed as though Chris had never been there at all. Even Paul Anka had quickly readjusted to Luke's presence, resorting to his own bed at night instead of curling up next to Lorelai as he'd taken to doing after Christopher's departure.

"Penny for your thoughts," Luke broke in.

"A penny? Baby, I'm not that cheap."

"My mistake. Chili fries and coffee later in exchange for your thoughts?"

"Now _that's_ what I'm talking about," Lorelai grinned. "Have you heard from April?"

"Nothing much more than the emails I showed you. We talked on the phone for a few minutes earlier today. I still have no idea what she was talking about, but using a lot of words that exceed ten letters is usually a sign she's happy, I've discovered."

"That was Rory at that age, except with literary references. I thought I was pretty well-read until she came along. I found myself skimming through Cliffs Notes at the library on more than one occasion. Of course, you could just Google it if you'd actually touch the laptop you bought."

"I told you, it doesn't like me."

"Kirk offered to help."

"Kirk is _not_ touching my laptop."

"Probably wise. It's busy keeping mine company anyway."

"My laptop keeps your laptop company?"

"Yep. They spend an awful lot of time together at my place. I mean, even the power cable and mouse are at my place now. I'm not sure how much stuff the laptop even has left to bring over. They seem kinda serious, those laptops."

Luke stole a glance out of the corner of his eye to find Lorelai smiling knowingly at him, eagerly awaiting his reaction.

"Just reclaiming my space," he muttered with a smirk.

"Oh, really."

"Yes. I did something stupid and got kicked out of my bedroom for awhile," he spoke matter-of-factly, "but I decided to take it back."

Lorelai chuckled, glad they were on the same page, and tapped Luke's thigh with the hand that rested there. "Luke, if you're serious about this…"

"Lorelai, at this point, I have more of my everyday stuff at your house than I do at my apartment. I even had to grab a few things _from_ your house to bring _back_ to the diner after you suggested we meet at the diner."

"How much is actually left?"

"Not much. I've been... uh... slowly boxing things up at the apartment."

"That's what was missing! You packed the fish!"

"I was going to talk to you about this _after_ dinner tonight, you know," he grumbled, "And the fish didn't get packed, they got tossed."

"Lame! I loved those fish."

"No you didn't."

"So when do you want to move the rest of your stuff over, roomie?"

"I was thinking this weekend. Ed's having a yard sale tomorrow. I figured I could dump some of the furniture off there."

Lorelai felt her eyebrows nearing her hairline. "The fish _and_ the furniture? Heartless man. You really aren't going to keep it as an apartment?"

"You said it yourself, Lorelai. I shouldn't have a clubhouse to go hide in. And I shouldn't have had it by then, either. It's not right. And we're-"

"Doing it right this time," she finished. "I know."

He felt the hand resting on his leg squeeze his thigh, just before she leaned over and kissed his jaw lightly. They briefly made eye contact just before grinning excitedly at the road ahead.

* * *

Emily rearranged the flowers on the coffee table nervously for what Richard estimated was the fifth time in the last ten minutes. He couldn't hold back the amused smile that managed to sneak through. His wife was nothing if not perceptive and she spotted the grin before he had the chance to hide it with his glass of water.

"What, Richard." It was more a statement than a question.

"You know, dear, I don't think Luke will be offended by an out of place lily."

"It _is_ out of place isn't it?! That's the proble-"

"The lily is fine, Emily. Sit down, have a drink. Stop that display of nervous energy, you're reminding me of Lorelai."

She frowned at him and made her way to the cart. He'd noticed bottles of alcohol had slowly been making their way back up to the living room from their hiding spot in the basement. As time had gone on, Emily seemed to trust his promise of being able to limit himself to two drinks per week without her supervision.

Things were much improved between them lately. He used the exercise his doctor had required as an excuse to take a daily sunset stroll with his wife, sometimes in their neighborhood, other times around the golf course at the club, or a nearby park. He knew he would miss it come winter and he was back on the treadmill again.

The food had been improving as well, as together they read through research on heart-healthy lifestyles and food choices, and interviewed various chefs willing to work with them to plan a more palatable menu. Richard was grateful to have the monetary resources available to make this transition easier, yet he couldn't help but wonder if he'd be in such a position had he chosen a simpler life.

Although Richard immensely enjoyed being part of upper-class society, and the privileges that came with it, that existence did not come without a price. Both his father and Trix had raised him to be a hard worker, and he was. In keeping with the Gilmore way, family was important, but providing for them even more so.

In a way, he envied Luke. The dirtier parts of Luke's job could be washed off in the shower. The film of filth he'd felt after agreeing to rejoin Floyd Stiles had taken months to melt away. Even years later, if he thought too hard about it, he could feel it coming back.

These were things that even Emily would never be able to comprehend, and her lack of support back then had stung. It was a part of him that allowed her the world she loved, but she never fully understood what it cost him. He wondered if she ever considered it now, as he did, and if she envied Luke and Lorelai as well.

Emily took a sip and sighed as she sat next to him on the sofa. "I'm just so conflicted, Richard. I see Lorelai each week and she's happier than the previous week, happier than I've seen her in years. And then I think about why, and I remember it's _him_ and I... it just makes me so _angry_ that it's him."

"Well, if it's too soon, why did you invite him?"

"You know as well as I that it's the right thing to do. I told her to bring him after a few weeks, and waited a few months. She's still weird about talking to us about him. I want to show Lorelai that I don't hate him. And I don't hate _him,_ I just hate how he made her feel."

"We've _all_ done things we regret, Emily."

She pursed her lips and took another sip of her martini. Well, he had a point. Maybe if Luke had just rear-ended Lorelai's jeep, they would have been better off. She smirked at the memory. She'd be forever grateful to Simon McLean for finally giving Richard a reason to get off his ass and fight for her.

She knew something about regrets. Hers went all the way back to Lorelai's youth. The stiff childhood she'd fought against as a young girl was the very same one into which she'd tried to fit Lorelai. She wasn't sure why she thought it would work. Lorelai was far too stubborn, and while the benefits and structure of wealth and society exceeded the annoyances for young Emily, it was always different for Lorelai.

Emily's sister would have been able to better understand Lorelai, she had always thought. Hope was more like Rory, able to bounce in and out of society at her own whim, her buoyant personality leaving a trail of adoration. If Hope wasn't already off chasing art and men around Europe when Lorelai was a child, maybe she would've been a good example for Lorelai to look up to.

But she wasn't around then, and Emily could have done any number of things differently, herself. She knew that. Richard was right: they all had regrets. All that was important now was the future. Which, apparently, involved Luke... who was, no doubt, standing next to the person knocking incessantly on the door. She rolled her eyes at Richard, waiting for the maid. There was still no maid a few seconds later. And the irritating knocking noise continued. Oh for…

"BRIELLE! THE DOOR!?"

* * *

"Lorelai!" As Luke reached for Lorelai's wrist to stop the annoying woodpecker sound effect she was creating with her knuckles on the door, it opened to reveal one irritated Emily Gilmore.

"Lorelai…" Emily sighed.

"Hi, Mom! No maid?"

"I don't know where she is," she sighed again, visibly frustrated at having to fire yet another maid. "Just come in unless you want me to shut the door so you can continue your timpani audition. Luke and I can have drinks while you decide."

Emily stepped out of the way, ushering the couple indoors. Luke watched Emily's posture straighten as she regained her composure, switching from a woman resigned to a life of failed maids back to the flawless and elegant Emily Gilmore.

"I'll take your jacket, sir!" The smell of cigarettes hit Luke before he could even see the person who'd just spoken. He bit back a laugh at the look of horror crossing Emily's face as she saw the maid running toward them at a full sprint. Emily quickly grabbed Luke's jacket before the maid could reach it, saving it from being touched by the burning smell of tobacco.

"BRIELLE! Stop running! Were you _SMOKING_?!"

"Yes, Mrs. Gilmore."

"In the house?"

"No, Mrs. Gilmore."

"Thank goodness for that, at least. Please get your things and leave. Out the back, _please_. And do not touch your cigarettes again until you are off my property." Brielle grimaced, but wisely left the room without argument.

Luke cringed. Despite Emily's reputation for firing maids, he really couldn't blame her for this one. The woman smelled like a burning cigarette factory.

He caught sight of Lorelai's expression. The hand she was using to cover her nose was also attempting to cover an amused smile. She wasn't fooling anyone. Emily looked like she was about to comment, but instead, her shoulders slumped slightly again, as she realized she was now maid-less for the night.

Sighing one final time, she waved her hand toward the living room as she headed for the coat closet with Luke's jacket. "Go in. Your father will make you a drink, Lorelai. Luke, I'll bring you a beer in a moment. I'll be back after I see what needs to be done about dinner."

Lorelai raised her eyebrows at Luke, who shrugged in response. Emily was getting him a beer and there was no underlying tone implying "nitwit juice" or anything particularly negative.

Yet.

No, he wasn't going to expect the worst. He'd simply try to avoid throwing himself under a bus, and _try_ to find a way to avoid making Lorelai's parents hate him any more than they already did.

"Luke, Lorelai. Good evening. Sorry about that. Emily has been dealing with these things all day. Brielle has been a… trial, to say the least. Martini, Lorelai?"

"Yes. Please."

"Excellent. Luke, are you okay with the beer, or would you prefer something else?"

"The beer is fine, thank you. How have you been feeling, Richard?"

"Quite well, Luke, thank you. You are here in time to experience our first meal with our new chef. He is able to actually cook decent food without skimping on the taste. Emily and I have spent the past few weeks reading through recipes, resumes, and research; he actually came highly recommended by Sookie - you'll have to thank her for us again, Lorelai. If the aroma wafting from the kitchen is anything to go by, we are in for a treat."

"Lorelai told me you'd been having a lot of fish."

" _Yes._ I believe Emily may have singlehandedly overfished the ocean."

"Emily did no such thing," Emily said as she returned, rolling her eyes. She handed Luke a glass of amber beer, retrieving her martini from the coffee table, "Sit, sit."

As they all sat, Emily continued, "Lorelai, is that a new dress? It's lovely."

"It is. Thanks. Actually, Luke bought it."

"Well, you have excellent taste, Luke."

Luke hadn't realized his knee was bouncing up and down until Lorelai placed her hand on it. He chuckled nervously, "Uh, actually, _someone_ slipped the dress between a few things I was buying."

"Sometimes, having excellent taste means knowing when to smile and nod at such things, isn't that right, Emily?" Richard teased his wife before continuing, "Lorelai tells us your daughter is at a science camp, Luke? That sounds exciting. Where is it?"

"New York City, actually. She should be done in a few more weeks, then she'll be in Stars Hollow for a week. She's insisting she'll take the train in, but I'd rather Lorelai and I pick her up there."

He realized, as he felt Lorelai's hand twitch and saw her head turn to give him a confused look, that he'd somehow caught her off guard. When he'd read her April's email, he'd mentioned picking April up, but realized he hadn't specifically mentioned both of them going. He thought it was implied, but given her reaction… maybe not.

Luke caught a glimpse of Emily's severely raised eyebrow and pursed lips as she quickly attempted to hide her reaction by glancing down at her drink. He cringed inwardly, and smiled nervously at Lorelai. She smiled back, an attempt at reassuring him, but it was a smile he knew all too well. It was the one she used to indicate a self-assurance she didn't truly feel. It didn't reach her eyes, so her eyes made their own independent squinting movement to compensate. He'd seen that look too many times in the past. They'd have come back to that later. For now, he took a cleansing breath and squeezed her hand.

"A _camp_ in the city?" Richard inquired, pretending to be oblivious to the quick reactions and interactions that had just taken place. Luke was grateful.

"Yeah, from what I've gathered, camp is a very poorly chosen word for this whole thing. It's more of a series of summer _classes_ with university professors and Nobel Prize winning lecturers. She was even invited to stay an extra week for some kind of extra intensive series of seminars. Not something I would have been into the summer before starting high school, but April loves science like Rory loves books and writing."

"That's wonderful! Has she given any thought to college?" Luke sensed where Richard was headed and was hoping it would come up at some point. If ever there was an opportunity to endear himself to the Gilmores, this would be it.

"Everywhere with a science program," Luke replied proudly, "She's young, so she's still narrowing down what specifically she'd like to study, but keeps close tabs on the country's top medical and science schools." Luke paused, for a moment, directing his reply to Richard while also watching Emily, "Actually, she's mentioned talking to Rory about Yale."

There went Emily's eyebrow again, though this time with a small smile and nod of approval, and both were sent in Lorelai's direction, not his.

Richard reacted as expected, "Well, if Rory's not available, I would be more than happy to help! I have a great many connections in the science department, and you know, we had _planned_ to donate a science building to the school in Rory's honor."

"Yeah, whatever happened with that? The Rory Gilmore Astronomy Building and its massive signage." Lorelai cut in.

"Lorelai, the signage wasn't necessarily to scale," Richard explained, "And it seems Yale was not in need of a new science building. So, the money for it is sitting in an account for now, and we're putting together an extensive list of ideas that would be more appropriate for Rory. She can opt for one of those, or something of her own choosing."

"I think she'll like that, Dad," Lorelai replied, sharing a small smile with her father.

Luke could sense the mood shift at talk of Rory. Lorelai wasn't kidding about how deeply Rory's absence was affecting this family. He'd seen Lorelai's occasional sad moment at home when she'd been missing her. But he'd also seen Lorelai go through a far worse separation from Rory. What he hadn't expected was the drawn looks on Emily and Richard's faces. It came as no surprise, though. Rory had even managed to get beneath Luke's own surly demeanor.

Conversation shifted to Rory's last few articles and how adeptly she was blending her reporting of the hopeful senator with the reactions of the young voters in each town. Her articles were fresh and interesting, enough so that it had even caught the eye of some of Richard and Emily's friends. Emily described Rory as the local DAR chapter's pride and joy.

Lorelai was beaming, though trying not to make it obvious.

Emily glanced at the clock and stood, "Lorelai, I hate to ask this, but would you help me serve dinner? I didn't realize things with Brielle were going to end quite so abruptly, and the chef is a little too well paid to be expected to serve dinner."

Lorelai made eye contact with Luke, making sure he wasn't too nervous to be left alone with her father. His smile seemed genuine enough, and Richard was definitely the safer parent for Luke to be alone with. She gave his thigh one last squeeze before standing and following her mother to the kitchen.

As Lorelai reached into the cupboard for salad plates, Emily spoke, "Lorelai, I thought you said you two had gotten better about talking."

Lorelai bit her lip. Ah, picking up April in New York. Yes, that had caught her off guard. Luke had reacted badly to April's suggestion to take the train into New Haven and said he'd feel better driving out to the city to pick her up. Lorelai obviously wasn't bothered by it, just surprised; it was nice to be included. She had been trying very hard to banish the worries that plagued her every time she thought of April's upcoming week in Stars Hollow.

"Did you even know she was coming back to Luke's place after her camp?" Emily prodded.

"Yes, of course."

"Really."

It seemed her mother always had a way of sniffing out the topics Lorelai did _not_ want to talk about. "Yes. Really. We read her emails together. The only thing I didn't know was that he wanted me to go with to pick her up. That's not a terrible thing to not know in our case, Mother," she sighed. "Is this why you asked me to come with you?"

"No, I actually do need your help." Emily finally moved from her spot in the kitchen, and to emphasize her point, reached for the salad bowl in the refrigerator, and began tossing and plating its contents.

"Then stop with the third degree. Things are reeeeeally, reeeeeally good."

"Isn't it rather soon to be so emphatic?"

"It's not like we just met. We have a lot of history, and we've spent the last several weeks sorting through a _lot_ of that history. The good, the bad, the ugly, the hideous, the decrepit." Lorelai shot an awkward smile at the chef, who was trying very hard to ignore the crazy women invading the kitchen.

"Lorelai, I just worry. He had such a hard time committing last time. _You_ proposed to _him_ , he renovated your house, but refused to move in, _he_ called off your wedding, and then even rejected an elopement!"

"And he's moving in this weekend. And don't say it's too soon. You just implied Luke was afraid of commitment. Nevermind that we both know it was a lot more complicated than that. He's the one that got the ball rolling for us to move in together. He's the one that, apparently, wants me to _go with him_ to pick up his dau-"

"-Lorelai. Stop." Emily put down the salad tongs, giving Lorelai her full attention, "I'm glad. I'm not going to stop worrying, but I'm glad. I think actions speak louder than words, and this is a good thing. And you're happy. If he keeps you happy this time, I'll work my way up to being overjoyed. Okay?"

"Okay." Lorelai shot her mother an amused expression as she was handed two filled salad plates and was ushered out the door. Lorelai could count the amount of times she'd seen her mother "overjoyed" on one hand, and it wasn't likely to ever be used in conjunction with Luke.

Luke and her father were seated at the table, and Luke looked concerned, likely having overheard some of the sharper tones from the kitchen. She leaned over as she placed a plate in front of him, whispering in his ear "No beheadings planned for tonight, relax."

She placed the other plate in front of her father and sat across from Luke as her mother entered. Luke didn't look any worse for the wear. No one was crying. Her father's face lacked the red cast it would normally take on in the event of emotional distress. Things seemed to be going okay.

Of course, Lorelai couldn't relax _just_ yet; the last time there was a major fallout, Emily had waited until the main course…

* * *

"Dessert is a blueberry crisp, a la mode." Emily announced as she placed plates with small servings and tiny scoops of ice cream in front of the men. Lorelai returned with the women's plates, her two sizable scoops of ice cream sat atop a very large serving of blueberry crisp. Lorelai grinned at Luke's amused reaction to her plate. The only thing that was more exciting than the amount of dessert she scored was actually making it to dessert without any flare-ups with Emily.

"This is delicious, Emily." Luke said after a forkful of berries.

"Thank you, Luke. Richard and I picked this recipe out specifically for tonight. We found it online during some our research this week. Suddenly, I don't hate the wireless internet Jason Stiles set up all those years ago."

Lorelai stabbed at a blueberry. What was it with her exes and wifi?

Emily frowned, "Lorelai, be careful, this china is already missing two of its original dessert plates because of you."

"What? I was very careful in the kitchen!"

" _Tonight_ you were. As a child, you and that wretched girl Lisa you used to play with decided to eat lunch in a tree on this china. When she inevitably dropped hers, you threw yours down so she wouldn't feel bad. Then, she told on you for eating lunch in a tree and throwing my china. Which I already knew because your dress was torn. For the third time that week."

"Oh, I remember her. Don't worry, Mom, she was just as wretched when she got older."

"Well that's not very kind."

"What, she can be a wretched girl, but not a wretched teenager? She was the first one to start tormenting me after news hit that I was knocked up."

"Lorelai." Emily sighed at her daughter's choice of words.

Lorelai winked at Luke, proudly taking credit for the reaction. Lisa had been quite the backstabber throughout the years. She chose not to mention the fact that Lisa was also one of the people Christopher dated after Lorelai had dropped out of school, and that she had tried to tell everyone Christopher wasn't Rory's father. No need to bring _his_ name up tonight.

"Speaking of children, Lorelai, I've been wondering, with Luke moving in, is April staying in Rory's room while she's visiting?" Lorelai's eyes went wide as she looked up at Luke, who was clearly shocked she'd already shared this information. His look implied she may be insane. He wasn't wrong, she was no longer sure what she'd been thinking. She should have known better. She shrugged at Luke helplessly.

"They're moving in together? Did I miss something?" Richard looked around, confused.

"Dad, no. I mentioned it to Mom in the kitchen earlier. It's a very, _very_ new thing. Which is why, _Mom_ , we haven't quite gotten to those details yet."

"Well, it's a fair question." Emily defended herself, "Not to mention, if both Rory and April visit at the same time…"

"We'll figure it out when we get there." Lorelai replied, trying to end the line of questioning and move onto something else, "So, uh-"

"Actually, I figured on the off-chance they're here at the same time, there's still that trundle bed in Rory's room." Luke chimed in unexpectedly.

He really had been thinking about this, Lorelai realized.

"Trundle bed? When did Rory get a trundle bed?" Emily asked.

So much for avoiding Christopher talk. Lorelai muttered, "Chris got it for Rory and GG." She hoped one day she could talk about her pathetic last ditch attempt at having a "middle" with someone without feeling completely ashamed by the whole ordeal.

So much for the sense of relief she felt when dessert first started. Clearly, she'd grown a little too trusting around her mother. Emily continued rambling on about the size of the house and squeezing in three adults, a teenager, and a dog.

Lorelai was growing more frustrated by the second. She and Luke hadn't even had a chance to have a normal conversation about moving in together. She couldn't begin to see past that yet. She was hardly ready to deal with the reality of blending families; yet another kid in Rory's room brought back too many recent ghosts she didn't need to deal with at her parents' dinner table.

She pushed the dessert plate away, and looked up to see Luke's concerned expression. His foot found hers under the table and he nudged it gently. She nudged back in acknowledgement, but even Luke's presence didn't make her feel any better. Stupid trundle bed. Stupid poor choices.

"Mom, we'll. Sort. It. Out. One step at a time, okay? Please?" Lorelai's voice came out more tired and defeated than she meant it to. She didn't hide her anguished expression as she looked over pleadingly at her mother.

"I just think…" Emily sighed, stealing a glance at Richard. "Fine. One step at a time." She flicked her hand, dismissing the issue.

Richard eyed Emily and cleared his throat, "So, when is the big day? Did you hire movers?"

"No, I don't have much to move, really," Luke replied, "What furniture I do keep will probably go into storage; I have a few boxes of stuff, most of which I can store in Lorelai's garage. And the rest I'm ditching at my friend's yard sale in the morning."

"Speaking of, Luke, if you're dragging me out of bed at the crack of dawn to load up the truck and get to Ed's in time for yard sale shoppers… Mom, Dad, we really should get going."

"Yes, of course." Emily stood. Lorelai could see her mother looked genuinely apologetic for pushing the matter.

But what was done was done, and despite the somewhat unpleasant end to the night, both Luke and Lorelai managed to leave with heads still intact.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: About that title, if you didn't get it - Salome is known for orchestrating the beheading of John the Baptist... Mary Queen of Scots was famously beheaded. It's sick, I know, but I couldn't get the idea of making historical beheading references out of my head... ;)_


	5. Casting Out Ghosts

**Chapter 5: Casting Out Ghosts**

It took Luke a few blocks before he released a tense breath. It was probably the best night he'd had at the Gilmore house. Richard seemed quieter and more observant since his heart attack. Lorelai had told him he'd gone into a sort of golf-obsessed depression during his initial recovery, but he definitely seemed to be much improved.

Emily surprised him the most. For the first time, he could see the genuine concern for Lorelai that drove her often-harsh critiques. Even when she was letting loose about squeezing their future family into Lorelai's house, her expression seemed less judgmental.

He had caught more than a few hard glances his way throughout the night, though. He figured time would probably be his best ally; he just had to be patient and let Emily see for herself things would work out this time.

Luke glanced over to see Lorelai sitting silently next to him. She'd seemed her usual happy self throughout most of the night, deliberately annoying Emily when it was appropriate, making bad jokes, modestly trying to hide her glowing pride whenever Rory came up. The evening hadn't ended especially well, but it hadn't seemed bad enough to send either of them into the tailspin Lorelai seemed to be caught in.

"Hey."

"Hey," she replied, sending him yet another forced smile. "Not too bad for a Gilmore dinner, huh?"

"Best I've had so far." He was done with that smile, though. "You okay?"

"Yes," she paused, and Luke hoped she realized how empty her positive response sounded. Before he could call her out on it, she chuckled humorlessly, "Communication. Right. No. I'm not. But that's all I've got right now."

She diverted her attention out the passenger side window, but still held his hand when he reached for hers. That was something, at least. Maybe he was moving too fast suggesting he move in. But she had been genuinely happy about it earlier.

Though rest of the ride home was silent; Luke checked in with Lorelai via the occasional hand squeeze, not letting her get too lost in her thoughts.

* * *

As Luke pulled up to the house, Lorelai's eyes locked onto Rory's window. April's window? She really needed to talk to Rory about this. It was one thing to share the room with GG - she was Rory's half-sister, after all - but to share it with with... what? Might-have-been stepsister? Future stepsister? She released Luke's hand and pushed open the door. Luke met her in front of the truck, reaching out for her hand again.

As she was about to reach for her keys, she felt Luke tug her hand. She turned to face him and he pulled her into a hug. She let herself lean into him, and let out a long sigh, releasing some of the tension she'd been holding onto as he rubbed her back.

She felt his stubble tickle her cheek as he whispered in her ear, "You change, I'll get the coffee going and let the dog out. Just don't pull away from me, I get the feeling you have a lot more than just tomorrow you want to talk about." She nodded in agreement and they proceeded with his plan.

Lorelai opened one of her bedroom windows after changing to let some of the cool night air in upstairs. As she did so, she overheard Luke talking quietly to Paul Anka outside and chuckled. She only picked up on the words "shoes" and "chairs", but could easily guess at the context. She headed back downstairs to the coffee maker, temporarily replacing the carafe with a mug.

Sitting on the couch, Lorelai pulled her feet up under her as she waited for Luke to join her. She closed her eyes and breathed into her steaming mug. She wished this was easier.

She wished so many things: that they hadn't wasted this past year, that Luke had handled learning about April better, that she'd been better about making them talk about Christopher, that they'd both been better about talking in general… hell, having to work so hard at that last one just to continue addressing the constant issues from the past was an exhausting task in and of itself. Even so, it had been worth it; they'd come a long way since June.

She felt Luke brush past her on his way up the stairs, and allowed herself a quick peek at his backside. Patty and Sookie had praised Luke's butt for years before Lorelai was able to confirm that it was even better without jeans. As he walked past her a few minutes later in sweats and a t-shirt, she reached out and goosed him.

"Hey!" he objected before sitting on the other side of the couch.

"Sorry, had to ground myself."

"My ass grounds you?"

"Yes. Why do you think I was so lost last year? Insufficient ass."

"Oh, well, let's keep working on that, then," he grinned.

She returned his flirtatious grin before taking another sip of coffee. Time to dive in. "Um. So. You start packing stuff, but have you talked to Anna about moving in at all?"

"No," Luke grimaced, "I wouldn't have done that without talking to you first, and I don't see how it's any of her business. I'll let her know my address changed."

"Luke, if Anna and April moved in with some guy, wouldn't you want to know about it?"

"Yes, but you're not just some woman, you're _you_."

"All the more reason. I just feel like it's something she should know. I don't want you to get rid of too much stuff from your apartment tomorrow if she's not okay with April staying here. Or, beyond that, what if April herself doesn't feel comfortable staying here?"

"She does." Luke had the presence of mind to look slightly guilty as he admitted, "She called earlier today to say hi and push the train issue a little more. I asked her how she felt about staying here instead of at the apartment."

"And she was okay with it?"

"Thrilled with the idea. Especially after I confirmed that Rory's books were all here."

"And more in boxes we'll need to move into the garage. But let's not move out any of your bedroom furniture, at least, until you've talked to Anna. The idea of me even talking to her daughter without being married to you freaked her out enough before; I can't imagine what her reaction to April and I staying in the same house would be. Especially since I'm sure she was probably pretty happy about being right in the end about how non-permanent we were..."

"Yeah, except she wasn't right at all. We're here, aren't we?"

"Pretty sure that's not how she's gonna see it."

"Pretty sure she knew things weren't over when she heard your letter at the custody hearing," he countered, recalling Anna's reaction. He finally relented, frowning, "Well, then, I'll leave the beds and April's stuff up there till the very end. If Anna's that uncomfortable, April and I can crash there for the week and still spend most of our time here. Otherwise, it goes to Ed's. Are you okay with it, though, if April does stay here? I mean, if we're both as in this as we say we are, there's going to come a point where she'd be here anyway."

"No, I am, it's just," Lorelai sighed. It was still weird and uncomfortable to talk to Luke about the past year with Chris. "I did this once already, you know? With Christopher and GG? And everything felt wrong. And I know it felt wrong because it _was_ wrong, no matter how hard I tried to make it feel right, and I _know_ this is different, but…"

"Lorelai, it's for a week. Let's not worry about it beyond that yet, okay? Talk to Rory, make sure she's okay with it. I'll talk to Anna. But are you _sure_ you're ready for this, Lorelai? This seems to bother you more than I would've expected, and I don't-"

"Yes," she replied, without a drop of uncertainty, "I don't doubt that I'm ready for this. That _we're_ ready for this. It's just… these damn... ghosts."

"Like you thinking I wouldn't want you to go with me to pick up April in New York."

"That's different. If it were Rory, and I were picking her up, would you expect to go?"

"No. You two have your thing."

"And you two have _your_ thing," Lorelai pointed out. "Luke, it's nice of you to include me in that, but-"

"I thought we'd head into the city a day early and make a day of it, pick April up the next morning."

"Oh." She blinked. "But you hate the city."

" _You_ don't. Besides, I have some pretty good memories of you and I and New York City. They're a little fuzzy, but I seem to remember... some things."

There was an exchange of goofy grins for a moment before Lorelai recalled another memory from that night. She figured it was probably time to come out with it and continue the exorcism of the past. "You know, for a second, I thought I got pregnant that night."

" _What?!_ And you never told me?" Luke sat up very straight, staring at her in shock.

Before he could freak out and imply she'd considered becoming Anna 2.0, she put her hand on his knee, "It was a fluke, hon. Like, one day of thinking it. And we'd just gotten back together and hadn't even talked about kids at that point."

"Well, we _had_ , but you probably don't remember. I told you if I ever met the right person-"

"It would be a short discussion." she smiled, "I remember. But that was a long time ago."

"And it _was_ a short discussion, and it would have been then, too." He put his hand on top of hers. "Even then, there was never anyone one else I would've - well, ever _intended_ to have kids with. Lorelai, I wish you would've told me about that."

"Would've been silly to worry both of us, Luke. And next time I'm switching my birth control prescriptions, we'll avoid getting completely smashed to the point of forgetting condoms."

"Unless it's deliberate. Assuming the short discussion the night we got engaged still stands."

She paused for a moment. She did still want that with Luke. A kid. Maybe two. "It does. But-"

"Not right now. After we've figured out where to put our existing kids, we can figure out where to put another one or two. Or a plant. Or two…" He smirked.

She chuckled, acknowledging the reference, then grew serious. Our kids. Their kids. Referring to Rory and April as "their kids" wasn't something she'd ever been able to consider until now.

"You remember that first day I got to see Doula?" Lorelai asked.

"Can't forget. For a moment, despite everything, I wanted to pretend she was ours."

"Me too. And someone else noticed that, too."

"Really. And he mentioned it?"

"Yeah. Out of nowhere, he wanted to suddenly discuss having another one, ourselves. Like I wouldn't be able to tell where that was coming from..." Lorelai looked him intensely in the eyes, "And, Luke, you need to know, what you said goes for me too. You're the only one I've ever wanted that with." She moved his hand to hold it between both of hers, her thumb caressing his palm.

"Good. You're the only one I still want that with. Then we'll table this particular plan for a more appropriate time. For now, though, you okay?"

Lorelai smiled, "Yeah, I think I'm good." She moved over, snuggling up to Luke on the couch. "You know, I'm very proud of my mom. The poor woman's tongue must be a mess after having to bite it all night. Or _most_ of the night. She was definitely her old self toward the end." The two held each other for a few minutes, both proud of themselves and each other for having handled things in a far more healthy way than they had in the past.

Lorelai broke the comfortable silence, "Hey, someone promised me chili fries with my coffee."

"You kinda looked like you wanted to go straight home. Chili fries are at the diner."

"Yeah, but now I'm hungry."

"There's leftover pie in the-" he stopped, laughing, as Lorelai was already halfway to the kitchen.

A bit later, Luke muted the TV and glanced over at Lorelai as she slid her empty pie plate onto the coffee table.

"That wasn't me, that was the dog." She looked at him, mildly offended.

He was confused for a minute until the smell hit him, "What the hell did you feed him?"

"I ran out of dog food and gave him some other stuff I never got rid of. I'd stopped using it because, well..." Lorelai waved her hand, referencing the obvious drop in air quality.

"Geez, that's rank. That's almost as bad as Jess gassing me out. I always knew when Rory had dragged him to Jojo's." Luke chuckled and Lorelai laughed. "No, I was just... thinking."

Lorelai heard the tone and hesitation in his voice and wasn't sure she really wanted to know what he was thinking about. That tone usually meant he was going to either say or ask something that was going to be uncomfortable for both of them, usually something related to the past year. After a few seconds, curiosity got the best of her and she prompted Luke to continue.

"When did things end with you and... him?" he asked.

Lorelai frowned, "Why do you want to know this?"

"In the interest of banishing any remaining ghosts left in here before I officially move in, I guess?" Luke shrugged.

"Okay…" She replied slowly, "The night you called to tell me the news about the custody hearing."

Luke processed that for a moment before speaking, "Wow. You... lost Chris the same night I officially had a stake in April's life." She nodded, watching him carefully. "That... had to hurt."

"It did." Lorelai replied, glancing down at the coffee table.

"You gonna elaborate on any of that?"

She sighed, "You asked me when, that was when. Look, I really don't want to talk about this."

"Okay." Luke replied, rubbing his chin with his hand. He noticed the same drawn look she'd had during dessert when Emily had asked about the trundle bed.

Lorelai bit her lip and shut her eyes tightly for a moment before turning to face Luke on the couch. "You really want to know the whole pathetic end?"

"Kind of. We talked a lot about the beginning, about why, about all of that, but I still don't really know how it all ended. I guess your head's not the only one haunted."

"He found the letter. When you said... earlier, about Anna hearing it and probably knowing things weren't over between us? That was Christopher's reaction when he read it. That things weren't over. We argued about it, he left, and he never came back. He showed up for an hour at the hospital after my dad's heart attack, and we talked a few more times. He took care of the paperwork, I signed it. And that was it."

"Well, thanks for the facts," Luke muttered. "What was happening in your head, Lorelai? What made it over?"

"Aside from the fact that I still loved you and was convincing myself that what I had was the best I could get? He didn't want to be my second choice. And I think it would've taken me a really long time to finish getting over you. Longer than he ever would've deserved to wait." Lorelai pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around her legs. "And my head? My head was a mess. I suddenly had to deal with the ending of two relationships because I'd never really dealt with us ending in the first place. And what I'd done to help you out ruined everything I had in place to keep me afloat."

Lorelai dropped her head down to rest on her knees, "This isn't exactly a fun period of my life for me to revisit."

"I know." Luke moved over on the couch to rub her arm. "I almost want to apologize for kinda being the catalyst there, but at the same time…"

She chuckled humorlessly, "At the same time, it helped bring a faster end to a marriage that never should've happened in the first place. And you getting partial custody of April was more important in the long run, anyway."

"I should've been fighting for that from the beginning."

Lorelai glanced up, "Woulda coulda shoulda a lot of things, babe." She lifted one of her hands and dropped it on top of his. "Can we stop talking about Chris now? He's come up too many times tonight, and I hate thinking about all of that. I dealt with it, I moved on. And when it comes back up now, I just feel stupid and embarrassed and sickened by all of it."

Luke nodded. "I _am_ sorry I hurt you. With everything. Before and after the breakup, regardless of where we are now. I meant what I said at Rory's party. I want to see you happy, I hate hurting you."

"It goes both ways, you know? I never wanted to tell you about sleeping with Chris in the first place because I didn't want to hurt you with that. And when I saw your face that day I told you… that was exactly why." She watched his face as he grimaced at the memory, nodding understandingly. They shared a pained look until Lorelai stood suddenly, "Okay, enough. Moving on? Yes?"

Luke smiled, "Moving on." He picked up her pie plate, and they relocated to the kitchen to wash the few dishes sitting in the sink. "So what were you thinking telling your mother about the move tomorrow? We didn't even get to actually talk about it."

"Yeah, that wasn't planned. She cornered me. Started throwing the 'Luke's afraid of commitment and you're gonna wind up hurt again' bombs. Pointing out you were the one to bring up the conversation about moving in seemed like a good defensive maneuver... at the time."

He finished drying the last fork and, after putting the stack of silverware away, leaned heavily against the counter, "She really doesn't like us getting back together, does she?"

"It's not that. It's easier... well, simpler anyway, for you and I because we're the ones who've been talking and arguing and crying over this since June. It's just gonna take time, Luke."

"That's what I keep telling myself. I just hope it's true. Things did seem to go really well until the end there. Emily still doesn't know when to pull back when she's pushing you."

Lorelai rolled her eyes, "Understatement of the century. She just doesn't get that this is hard enough without her pushing so hard. I already asked Rory to share her room once this year, it's a weird deja vu for me to be back to this again."

Luke hadn't considered that, and immediately felt guilty for bringing up the trundle bed without them having talked about it first, but like Lorelai, he'd also felt a little cornered. "If it's a problem..."

"No, it isn't. It's just..." She sighed and looked up at him helplessly.

"Yeah," Luke gave her a small, sympathetic smile. "On a far more important note, I'm picking up Paul Anka's usual food first thing tomorrow morning."

Lorelai giggled as they locked the house up and moved upstairs. Once they were in bed, she wrinkled her nose at the smell wafting from Paul Anka's bed and burrowed into Luke's chest, pulling at his t-shirt to make a few large wrinkles, and buried her face in them.

"I can't live like this." Luke moaned, throwing his arm over his face. "What did you do last time?"

"Sprayed some perfume on my pillows and hid my face in them."

Luke groaned. He reached for the pillow she wasn't using, and pulled it over his face.


	6. Mothers & the Daughters Who Raised Them

**Chapter 6: Mothers & the Daughters Who Raised Them**

"And… GO!"

Eight paper airplanes set sail through a large, empty meeting hall, one taking an immediate nosedive.

"Aw man! Who was piloting that thing?!" Rory pouted, retrieving her failed attempt at making paper fly as she watched another one hit the ground a few inches from hers.

Another reporter turned to high five Rory, in celebration of their crash landings. The two stood back as one woman and five men chased down the remaining paper planes. One of the flimsy aircrafts was still in flight and caught a draft from a nearby air conditioning vent. It flew the length of the room, causing cheers to erupt from the group. Rory laughed and walked to a nearby table to take a sip of the lukewarm coffee she'd left behind.

It was early in the morning and they'd just discovered Senator Obama's arrival had been delayed due to weather - the hazards of traveling through the midwest during the unpredictable summer months.

The event was postponed for a day, and this particular group of reporters had gathered with the intent of sharing perspectives and discussing the campaign so far. A need for distraction had gotten the best of them, however, and the notepads intended for work soon became the building materials for entertainment. The idea had been Rory's, after she'd taken a moment to ask herself what her mother would do in such a situation to lift everyone's spirits, and the project had brought out the inner ten year olds in reporters twice her age.

Rory was grateful to have already made several friends among the diverse bunch. Some writers, others photographers. A handful would be incredibly helpful down the line as future contacts, others would remain friends with a common interest and a shared experience on this crazy journey.

She felt mildly guilty that her phone calls home had lapsed. Work kept her incredibly busy, and when she wasn't immersed in work, she was usually ignoring the phone and computer she'd been stuck to all day in favor of bonding with her fellow journalists or sleeping.

She tried to make up for it with postcards and an occasional tacky souvenir, making sure her mother, grandparents, Lane, and Paris were each sent something at the major stops. Fortunately, even Lorelai and the elder Gilmores had been incredibly understanding, not pushing too hard between calls and texts.

Rory checked the time, adding an hour to account for the time zone difference, and thought about calling home while she had the time. Coincidentally, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket, identifying "THE MOTHER" as the caller. Eerie. She walked out into the lobby of the hotel, and pushed a button to answer.

"Lorelai Gilmore is up very early for a Saturday!" Rory spoke into the phone.

"Very good attention to detail, my young reporter! I have, in fact, been up since dawn," her highly caffeinated mother replied.

"On purpose?"

"Yes. Luke made me help him move."

"Moving? Luke? Not our Luke."

"Yep, our Luke. He's actually been slowly moving stuff the last few weeks, he just didn't tell anyone. Today has mostly been about trips to storage, dropping things off at Ed's yard sale, and turning most of the apartment back into an office. Rory, you should see the amount of flannel in my closet, it's _epic._ "

Rory gasped excitedly; she had hoped that was what her mother was leading up to, but given her mom and Luke's history, it was always a gamble. "In _your_ closet! Mom! Luke's moving in! Why didn't you tell me before?!"

"Because it was too late to call you last night when we finalized the plans. I woke up yesterday realizing there was just as much Lorelai clutter as Luke clutter-"

"- _not_ possible-"

"And kinda mentioned it on the drive to Hartford for dinner last night," Lorelai continued, ignoring Rory's comment, "Apparently, he's also been slowly packing up the apartment when he's there."

Rory smiled widely, holding her hand to her chest. She was thrilled to hear things were finally going somewhere with those two. She'd seen her mom through far too much heartbreak over the last few years, and had often worried about the sadness she'd seen cross her face when she thought Rory wasn't looking.

"Mom. This is really wonderful, I am _so_ happy for you."

"Thanks, kid. It's nice to finally be somewhere, y'know?"

"Definitely. So are you done for the day?"

"Well, that actually depends… um… so… the one hiccup in this whole living together thing is, y'know, we, uh, there's two bedrooms and two daughters, and one is visiting soon, and um…"

"You want to know if April can use my room."

"It's okay if you don't. We still don't even know if Anna's gonna be okay with this, you know, because of what she'd said before and even though Luke has partial custody, it's just one of those things you should probably ask about if you're living with someone. So we still have the beds in the apartment just in case Luke and April need to stay there while she's out here. That way you're comfortable and Anna's comfortable, and it's not an issue for anyone, and-"

"Woah, woah. Of course, it's okay. Certainly better than Kirk staying in there, and you never asked me about _that_. April can use my room, you'll just need to put all my boxes from school and some of my junk in the garage, so she actually has room to be comfortable in there."

"Really? You're okay with that? Because in the event that you two are ever here at the same time-"

"I'll be trundling it up with April. As long as April's okay with it, we'll be fine."

"You're sure."

"I'm sure, and before you ask again, I'm sure that I'm sure. April is far less likely to roll off the bed and fall on me in her sleep."

"GG did that?"

"All the time. That kid ran marathons in her sleep. Probably got it from Sherry."

Lorelai laughed, "Yeah, no doubt. Thanks, hon, I appreciate it more than you know."

"Freaked out about that, were you?"

"More freaked out about the deja vu." Rory frowned as Lorelai continued a little more seriously, "We've been continuing to wage war on all these ghosts from the past."

"Yeah, I imagine that's quite a process. Life's been more than a little crazy. Just give it time, Mom. Does Luke know?"

"Yeah. The ghosts aren't completely terrible, they come with reminders of what the end result of poor communication is."

"Well, don't get too caught up in your little haunted head there. You're just getting back to what you were supposed to be doing in the first place. Hey, is there still a kibosh on relationship gossip?"

"Uh, yes. To the point of absurdity. Kirk and Jackson were helping us move some stuff a bit ago, and they did it without commenting on us as a couple, our relationship, or the fact that it was our house Luke was moving into. Which was hilarious since TJ hasn't been able to _stop_ talking about it. I guess family is exempt? Or maybe TJ just didn't understand."

"Our town is so weird. And I'm telling you, I've seen some pretty weird stuff out here in Nowhereland."

"Oh, I bet. How do we compare overall?"

"Hard to say! But my fellow journalists have greatly enjoyed the Kirk stories."

"Oh, you haven't heard the latest…" Lorelai began.

Rory smiled contentedly as she found a comfortable chair toward the back of the lobby, and settled in to catch up on life back at home. She closed her eyes, imagining the small town she knew so well, its eccentric - but lovable - residents and their crazy antics, as told by her favorite storyteller.

* * *

Anna Nardini gritted her teeth as she half-listened to her mother rant about the ineptitude of her latest nurse. The woman's back injury, surgery, recovery, and now, relapse, had caused her to grow consistently more irritating.

And that was when she _wasn't_ in pain. There were a great many reasons Anna had left New Mexico at a young age to move back home to Connecticut, her mother among them.

But Teresa Nardini was a divorcée with one child, so it fell on her daughter's shoulders to make sure her mother was properly being cared for. Said daughter, however, was beginning to wonder how much of the "poor care" her mother complained about had been exaggerated. The current team of nurses were kind, attentive, and most importantly, able to stand strong when her mother's ridiculousness reached the point of absurdity. Anna had no intention of having them fired.

"Mom, let's focus on eating your breakfast for now, okay? I'll call the home care agency later and see what we can sort out." Anna stood and headed outdoors, mumbling, "And beg them not to quit."

As she stared out at the familiar sandy browns and terra cotta colors that made up the neighborhood where she'd spent some of her youth, she found herself missing the lush greens of Connecticut. The desert had its own beauty, but it wasn't one she ever connected to very strongly. She was grateful, though, that April had found her own connection to the area - one that wasn't _solely_ based on which species of plant originated from where, or the geologic history found in the strata of a cross-section of rock.

She missed her kid. It had always been the two of them against the world. They were so different, but she loved April's inquisitive nature, and had always encouraged it. Had she known April's constant need for finding answers through science would be the one thing that broke up their inseparable little duo, she might have made more of an effort to interest her in art instead.

While boxes and clutter were frequently coming in and going out of April and Anna's house, there was one small area in the attic stacked with dusty boxes of Anna's that hadn't been touched in over a decade. Once, Anna went up there to temporarily store a few items that weren't selling, and although the boxes looked unchanged, she felt like there was something off.

The dust seemed less thick, the boxes less adhered to the walls with cobwebs. Unable to find anything specific to pin the change on, she ignored it and continued on with her day. She never thought about it again until she found out about April's project, and then it hit her: her daughter had been snooping through her past.

She was always fairly certain Luke Danes was April's father, but there was still a _slight_ level of uncertainty. It never bothered her, though. None of the men she was seeing at the time could be considered fatherly types, and she wasn't particularly attached to any of them, either. Anna's unplanned pregnancy had come at a time when she was floating around directionless and lost. April had given her a purpose in life. It was for April that she'd focused her interests enough to work so hard at opening her own store.

For thirteen years, she'd been perfectly content to raise her child alone, never thinking twice about April's paternity - that is - until her cousin Rex called her, expressing concern over an email he'd received from April. She had asked about using his lab for her science fair idea - running DNA tests to find her father.

Anna had been devastated. She'd felt she'd been a wonderful mother; April was healthy, smart, happy, and provided for. She could not begin to grasp why April was doing this.

Anna's reaction to the project started the first tear in the fabric of her relationship with her daughter. She'd scolded April harshly for going through her things, refused to allow her to follow through with the project, canceled a much-anticipated trip to a science museum, and grounded her from both her bike and the local library.

So April, like any pre-teen girl in a rebellious fit, had gone against her, even going so far as to beg good ol' Uncle Rex to help her out behind Anna's back.

Anna didn't speak to him for months after that.

She'd wished Luke could've understood where she was coming from. At first, she thought they were on the same page - he didn't like kids, she didn't want anything from him, April had her answers, and they could all move on. Instead, it all completely snowballed.

Before she knew it, she was trying to juggle an increasingly angry teenage daughter, an elderly mother in poor health several states away, a very active business, and a highly unpleasant custody lawyer. Anna _hated_ lawyers.

She was smug when she'd heard Luke and his fiancée had split up. April thought Lorelai was wonderful, and the more Anna heard about Lorelai, the more she wondered what would have happened if she'd told Luke from the beginning. She and Luke would have never worked out, but at the very least, if April had grown up at least knowing her father, Anna knew she wouldn't feel like her entire world was being torn apart, her constant companion of thirteen years suddenly ripped from her side.

As her relationship with April grew more tense, Anna began to see Lorelai as a threat. She had countless nightmares in which April had run away to live with her father and his girlfriend, breaking free from her selfish birth mother who'd kept her from him all those years.

Lorelai's name was the last one she'd ever expected to hear at the custody hearing, but after Lorelai's letter was read, she knew the two would be back together soon if they weren't already. Thus, Anna was hardly surprised when Luke brought Lorelai up when they arranged the final details of April's visit with him after camp. He had very firmly told her that Lorelai would be there most of the time, and did not seek her input on the matter at all. She knew she deserved that - she'd weighed in more than enough in the past and it was no longer tolerated.

Anna wasn't sure she'd ever get used to the shared custody situation. It was as awkward as trying to find contentment back in New Mexico. She was working hard at both, though. She and April frequently went to art walks and craft fairs; April found the anthropological connections fascinating while Anna sought out unique items to sell in her new store in New Mexico, as well as send back to the store in Connecticut.

She tried to only speak well of Luke to April, no matter how she felt, supporting and encouraging their relationship even when it killed her to do so. The time in Stars Hollow following April's science camp had even been Anna's idea, much as it pained her to suggest it.

As she stood on her mother's porch, Anna found herself wishing she hadn't suggested the extra trip. Several weeks at a science camp was already longer than the two of them had ever been apart, and April was growing up so fast.

She never thought her nerdy little girl would ever care much for appearances, but even April wasn't immune to the pressures of being a teenager. The last several months had brought about makeup, pierced ears, new glasses, and a complete wardrobe overhaul.

She wondered what Luke thought of it all. He hadn't had much of a chance to grow accustomed to April the Child before she transformed into April the Teenager.

If she ever moved back to Woodbridge, she hoped she'd be able to develop a more civil relationship with Luke. Still bitter toward each other for their own reasons, their conversations were usually very short and somewhat stilted.

Anna heard her mother complaining about her phone before she noticed it was ringing. She spun on her heels and bolted back indoors to grab her phone.

"Sorry, Mom, I forgot to turn off the ringer," Anna apologized, heading back outdoors with her phone in hand, not bothering to acknowledge the sharp retort.

She glanced at the display, surprised to see Luke's name, and flipped open the phone.

"Hey, Luke. What's up?" She aimed for friendly, and cringed when she noticed her tone still held a note of annoyance.

"Hi, Anna." She could hear the hesitation in his voice. "Uh, how are you?"

"I've been better," she answered honestly, "My mother's back is having some problems again, and she hates her nurses. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that..." he sounded genuine enough. "I'm pretty good. The, uh, diner is good as always, and, uh-"

Impatient with his stalling, she cut him off, "Is there something I can help you with, Luke?"

"Ahh, yeah. Um, so, we're, uh - damn it, hang on a minute - TJ! I am not going to tell you again! That chair stays here! Do not go near it, do not touch it, and do not complain about how heavy it is, because it does not _need to move_! Are we clear? ...Great! Now go take _that_ box to Liz or Lorelai!... yeah... right... _that_ box... yes, I'm sure."

Anna had to smile as she heard him mutter something about not asking him to help in the first place. She recognized the name of Liz's husband from April's stories. She still couldn't believe Liz had managed to find someone and settle down. Liz's endless relationship drama had been such a thorn in Luke's side in the past.

"Sorry about that, Anna."

"No, it's fine. Are you moving?"

"Uhhh, yeah. I am. Um... that's why I'm calling."

"To tell me you're moving? Luke, you can just email me your new address, you don't need to call."

"Yeah, I'll do that. Actually, I'll have Lorelai email you. I have this laptop April talked me into and I can't get it to - anyway - I'm, um, I was actually calling to let you know I'm moving in with Lorelai."

"Well congratulations, Luke, I'm happy for you. But I still don't-"

"Lorelai thought, uh… _we_ thought... I should talk to you about it since, y'know, um... April would be staying with me - I mean - with us - when she's here."

Anna began boredly kicking a small stone around the porch while she waited for Luke to collect himself. She couldn't remember if he was always this awkward, but it was a little grating.

He paused and took a deep, shaky breath, which seemed to calm his nerves a little, "Let me try this again. I need to know if you're okay with April staying with Lorelai and I in our house. If you're not, we understand, and April and I can just stay here at the apartment." His second attempt almost sounded rehearsed, it was so stiff.

"Uh, but aren't you currently in the process of moving _from_ your apartment?"

"We decided to leave April's area and the beds for the end and we're starting to get close to finishing," he replied, his voice growing progressively more tense as he spoke, "I know you had issues with April even seeing Lorelai in the past without a marriage certificate, wedding ring, and sheets in the window."

Sheets in the window? Really? She cringed at this choice of words and sharp tone. "Look, Luke-"

He sighed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that… Lorelai didn't, um, we I mean… we didn't want to just have April stay with us and have you find out from her, we wanted to talk to you about it first."

The whole marriage requirement she'd mandated to Lorelai sounded even more ridiculous coming back to her. In reality, Anna wasn't sure she even believed in marriage. And as a child of divorced parents, herself, she knew full well that marriage was no guarantee of permanency.

At the time, though, she was flailing, and having a semblance of control over the situation was important to her; Luke's relationship was one of the few cards she could play from her rapidly dwindling hand.

The stone she'd been kicking went flying off the porch as her frustration peaked.

"Well, I appreciate you asking-" she started, but Luke interrupted again.

"The thing is, she would really have more privacy at the house, because she'd be staying in Rory's room - that's Lorelai's daughter - compared to the tiny alcove she's been using in my apartment." Anna knew full well who Rory was. April had told her plenty of stories about her; she could tell Luke spoke of Rory, her childhood, and his experiences with her often. Luke continued, "And she's… god, Anna, she's really too old now to be sharing a studio apartment with her dad."

April had never really been bothered by the lack of privacy in Luke's apartment, but Anna could understand his discomfort with the situation. Of course, April also didn't have certain female things to consider the last time she'd been in Stars Hollow either, yet another way in which her daughter had grown up. As threatened as she'd felt about Lorelai and April's relationship in the past, knowing her daughter had another woman there to talk to if needed eased her mind a little.

"Does Rory mind?" Anna asked.

"Ah, no, she's actually not here. She'll be covering press for Obama's campaign for the foreseeable future."

"Oh, wow. That's impressive, Lorelai must be proud. She doesn't mind April using her room while she's gone, though?"

"No, Lorelai checked with her earlier. Plus, there's a trundle bed in there, too, in case they're ever both in town at the same time."

"Then as long as April's okay with it, it's fine." She waited for another wordy response. It was silent on the other end. "Uh, Luke? You there?"

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure, Luke." Anna had to chuckle at the surprise in his voice. Clearly, he'd expected an argument, or a negative answer. Probably both. It was nice to be asked, and it seemed to be a good way to start improving their relationship a little.

"Wow. Well. Okay, then." She could tell he was smiling. Probably looking at his shoes. She knew Luke knew how to handle grumpy. Happy... not so much.

Anna wanted to apologize for things she'd said and done in the past. She wanted to tell him that she hoped he and Lorelai were doing well, and that they were happy, and to thank Lorelai for having him call about the move.

But the words just weren't there yet.

Maybe she'd find them someday.

"Okay then," she said, her tone lighter than before, "Is there anything else?"

"Nah, that's it. Thanks, Anna."

"You're welcome. Bye, Luke."

She softly shut her phone, and took a long, slow breath, gazing into the sky.

Clouds were rolling in and she could smell moisture in the air. It was going to rain again.

She pulled April's rain meter out from behind the clay pot on the porch and set it in front of the house, in the same level spot April had been meticulous about placing it.

She really missed that kid.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: Don't worry, Anna is not a regular in this fic, and this is the only time where she gets her own narrative for almost an entire chapter. I didn't much like her in the show (rather, I didn't like that she and April were created specifically to drive a wedge between L &L). She exists, though, and I had to deal with that. So I thought the best way for me to come to terms with Anna was to approach things from her perspective and give her a little more back story. There are also some odd inconsistencies about Anna in the show that I wanted to kinda fix (Uncle Rex in April's website photos, but Anna mentions being an only child to Rory... the Stars Hollow townies saying she'd grown up in CT, but her mother living in NM...). I always thought the parallels between her and Lorelai were interesting, so I also wanted to explore that a little. I ended up really liking this chapter, and hopefully Anna's a little more palatable for you after this, too!_

 _But in case you can't take so much Anna, happily proceed to the Anna-free chapter 7, which I'm posting along with this one to make up for devoting so much time to Luke's ex. ;)_


	7. Boxing Day in August

**Chapter 7: Boxing Day in August**

Luke loaded another box of Rory's books onto the dolly. After strapping them down, he wheeled them out of the house, down the piece of wood serving as a temporary ramp, and into the garage, where Lorelai sat on a blanket.

She'd been going through the contents of some of the boxes, attempting to further downsize beyond the meager dent she'd made during their remodel of the house, and was making much more progress this time. She knew she really hadn't been in a sound enough mental state to handle it during her rift with Rory.

She added a few more VHS tapes to the box labeled "TRASH" and smiled at Luke as he approached with the heavy boxes of books.

"I think next time Rory's home, we should ask her about rearranging her room. I could easily put up more bookshelves so she doesn't have to stash all of these in the garage." Luke suggested.

"She might like that. Who knows how long she'll be out on the road. Plus, it would give April room to keep some of her books here, too. Rory's furniture is mostly made up of old things we were getting rid of back at the Independence Inn, anyway."

He nodded and began surveying the progress. There were a few unlabeled boxes toward the back that Lorelai hadn't gotten to yet. "What're those?" he asked.

Lorelai stood up to collapse the now-empty box that formerly held old VHS tapes, and frowned, "I'm not sure, they must be Rory's, but it's missing her usual labeling."

Luke pulled the top one down, checking each of the sides for writing. Lorelai reached down to rip open the one it had been sitting on, and pulled open one of the flaps. She gasped upon seeing its initial contents: a camouflage skirt and spatula.

Her Luke Boxes.

She had left them out next to the trash bins after the big breakup. Rory must have somehow sneaked them into the garage.

Lorelai bit her lip, memories flooding back to her: the meanings behind each item, and the depressing, painful day she'd spent packing them into boxes.

Luke looked over her shoulder to see what had caused her reaction. "Hey, my spatula. What is all this?"

"My Luke box. Well, boxes."

"I thought you said you got rid of everything."

"I _thought_ I had. But it seems a sneaky elf must have moved them in here." Lorelai paused to lift the other flap, seeing several items of clothing she had once dearly loved and long since pushed out of her mind. "Oh, Rory, I can't believe you kept these," she said quietly to herself.

Lorelai wondered if Rory had ever intended to tell her about this. All she knew now was that she wanted to hug her.

Curious to see what else constituted a "Luke Box", Luke used his box cutter to open the box he'd moved, and immediately saw a familiar ring box sitting on top. He'd wondered what had happened to that after he'd told her he didn't want it back. He'd been afraid to ask.

Luke glanced over to see Lorelai still lost in a sea of memories, and silently slipped the ring box containing her engagement ring into his pocket. No need to upset Lorelai by having her finding it, he reasoned to himself. Below it was a jewelry box full of the various necklaces, bracelets, and earrings he'd given her during their time together. Almost every time he'd visited Liz, he'd found something that reminded him of Lorelai.

He cringed a little, realizing that even the random surprise jewelry gifts had stopped after he'd learned about April. The only piece of jewelry she'd gotten during that time was that stupid necklace he'd bought off of Logan. He wondered if that was somewhere in the box, too. He sighed, set the box down on a stack of books, and looked over at Lorelai as she stood up; she was holding a pink shimmery dress.

"Remember this?"

Luke couldn't hold back the smile that surfaced. She'd worn it the night of their first date back together after their first breakup. "Of course. I thought it looked amazing on you. I found out later it looked even better on your bedroom floor."

She laughed and smacked his bicep. "If I remember correctly, and I'm pretty sure I do, it took far too long to convince you that the dress was not meant to stay on after we got home."

"And if _I_ remember correctly, _someone_ had invited Kirk to sleep in the same house even though he'd seemed perfectly happy in the boat. It's bad enough he interrupted our first kiss, the last thing I wanted was him interrupting make-up sex."

"You're the one that told him to ditch his mother. And technically, that was post-reunion-date sex. We'd already had make-up sex."

"Oh, I remember," Luke returned suggestively, his voice dropping an octave.

He'd accosted her the second she opened her front door the night they'd gotten back together, and after several long kisses, she'd jumped back, and demanded to know what they were doing. After a brief conversation - far too brief, he knew now - they gave into their rising desires. It had been fast and intense on the living room floor, significantly different from the far more subdued post-reunion-date sex in Lorelai's bed that was a combination of wanting to take their time, and half-listening for Kirk.

Lorelai smiled, batting her eyelashes at him, and returned the dress to the box. "I need to thank Rory for this the next time she calls. You mind if we bring these in? There's no need for them to sit out here anymore."

He nodded in agreement, looking forward to rediscovering some of the items together, while also dreading seeing some of the other contents again. He knew the wedding dress was in there somewhere; there was no way he could abscond with that as easily as he had her engagement ring.

* * *

With everything in place at the house, and Luke's apartment looking more like a massive, oversized office with a kitchen, Luke collapsed onto the couch in exhaustion. While Lorelai was busy at the inn, he spent the rest of the day clearing out the remains of his old apartment, dropping the leftover pieces of furniture off at his storage unit with Jackson's help.

Once back at the house, he reclined on the couch and reached into his pocket to pull out the small box, opening it to gaze at the engagement ring he'd given her. It was amazing how much had happened since he'd slipped the ring on her finger on the porch not far from where he laid now. He pulled the ring out, admiring it as the light caught the diamond.

Luke had questioned the timing of it when she'd joined him on the porch that night. The joy on her face upon seeing the ring had been genuine, but she couldn't hide the redness of her eyes or the tear streaks. He knew they were from the pain of everything going on with Rory, and hated that she seemed to think she had to hold it all back.

Looking at it now, the beautiful ring represented all the beautiful promises that they'd both broken. He returned the ring to the box; the sound of it snapping shut was loud in the quietness of the house. Paul Anka woofed at the noise.

"Think she'll beat me to this next time?" he asked the dog. In response, Paul Anka walked over to lick Luke's arm before laying down on the floor next to the couch. "Thanks, I think I've got a pretty good chance too."

Luke reached down to rub Paul Anka's head and slid the box back into his jacket. He'd have to find a decent place to stash this for now. He'd also have to decide whether or not the ring was too haunted with bad memories, and he knew it would have to be soon.

Luke groaned tiredly as he stood up, and walked out to his truck. He opened his old silver toolbox - "Bert" as the girls had christened it - and poked through it. Finding an old, near-empty box of nails, he dumped its contents into another container, and slid the ring box inside the cardboard box. After storing Bert safely in the garage, he turned to see the headlights of Lorelai's jeep heading up the driveway. As she turned the engine off, he walked over to greet her.

Lorelai looked exhausted, the tension in her face indicating she'd had a stressful evening at work. Before he could ask, she began venting.

"Mr. and Mrs. Harris not only managed to cause their neighboring guests to check out early after screaming at each other the last two nights, but today's argument resulted in a completely trashed room and a broken window. I had to deal with the police, Dad's insurance company, _and_ Michel, who wanted to kick them out two days ago after he caught them yelling at each other in the library, and now blames me for not kicking them out then. Their room is completely unusable until I can get the window and furniture replaced." Lorelai stepped out of the jeep, giving Luke a quick kiss. "The good news is, we've been so busy, the other two rooms are already occupied, and Sharon and Victor Harris are forever banned from the Dragonfly Inn."

She turned and reached back into the jeep to grab a stack of aluminum pans from the passenger seat. "But the best news is, Manny went a little too overboard with the comfort food he made for the staff and guests who'd witnessed the whole mess, and sent it home with me. And I may eat it all myself, so if you want some, you better get to it first."

"I'll try to come over tomorrow once the breakfast rush slows down and see what I can do to help with the repairs." Luke took the pans from her, grateful to not have to deal with cooking tonight. The only other option at this hour was pizza, which they'd already had for lunch, and he was starving. "Did you call Tom?"

"Yeah, after we finished taking photos for the insurance claim. He has to get ahold of his glass guy first, but he said if he can swing it tomorrow, he will," she replied as they headed inside.

They ate with very little conversation, the need for nourishment outweighing even Lorelai's need for chatter. After finishing her second plate, and a few cups of coffee, she felt a little better. Luke still looked a little peaked, but given how much more physically exhausting his day had been, it was expected.

After a shower and change of clothes, Lorelai headed back downstairs feeling newly energized. She found Luke laying on the couch, barely awake, watching the evening's sports coverage. He smiled as he saw her approach and muted the TV, "Feeling better?"

"Much." Lorelai squeezed his big toe and scooted one of the Luke boxes next to the couch before sitting down on the floor next to it.

"You're gonna do this now?"

"There may be something I want to wear tomorrow in these," Lorelai grinned. The dress she'd worn to her parents' vow renewal was the first item to start the "donate" pile. The two laughed at a few of the things that had gone in the boxes - a waffle iron, expired protein powder, books, and a variety of squeal-inducing shoes their owner was thrilled to see again. She reached into the box again blindly, pulling out another item: A beautiful black dress with flowers and pink, gauzy ruffles that peeked out from under it.

She'd loved this dress, and the memories it triggered were both awful and wonderful. She remembered arriving at Friday night dinner, ready to convince Rory that Mitchum Huntzberger was an idiot, and that she should go back to school. For the first time in her life, she had not at all been prepared for her parents to turn against her as they had that night.

She'd gone to Luke after, and his reaction was everything she needed. His determination to get Rory back in school matched hers, and she had fallen in love with him all over again.

Max's unfamiliar approach to fatherhood was one of the many things that made Lorelai start realizing she'd made a mistake accepting his proposal. But Luke… Luke had reacted to Rory's decision as passionately a father would. And she knew right then, no matter how bad the timing, she didn't want to waste another second of her life without him.

She turned her head to find Luke carefully watching her reactions. He spoke quietly, "A lot happened in that dress."

"You remember?"

"Of course. You proposed to me. Which _I'd_ been trying to gather up the guts to do, but that guy wanted to buy the inn, and after the stupid comment Dean made…"

"Comment _Dean_ made?"

"I never told you about this?" he asked.

Lorelai shook her head.

Luke rubbed a hand over his face, "He planted some pretty impressive seeds of doubt when he told me that you and Rory wanted more than Stars Hollow." At this, Lorelai snorted, but Luke held up his hand to stop her. "I realize he's a bitter kid, but look at the timing. I was constantly afraid of losing you to a more interesting life over getting stuck with a diner owner in a small town. I was trying to buy us the Twickham house, but that Armstrong guy was trying to buy the inn, with big promises of travel, and you seemed to be liking the idea."

"I was _entertaining_ the idea. I _told_ you that. It was fun to play with the idea of occasionally traveling to Europe for work. I got to think about all the things a single mother would never have been able to even consider for the last twenty years. How couldn't I at least _think_ about it for a few days? I never thought I'd even be able to spend a minute even dreaming about something like that."

Lorelai turned to face him, sat up on her knees, and held his hands, "And in the end, I turned him down anyway. As fun as it sounded, as good as his offer was, it really wasn't what I wanted. I wanted to start building a life together with _you_ , here. I wanted to see my inn grow without some corporate stamp on it. And seeing you talk about Rory the way you did that night - I didn't want to waste any more time without you. The timing seemed weird, but in my head with everything that was going on then - both the inn and my decision and Rory, it fit together perfectly."

Luke sat quietly, letting explanations for so many things echo in his mind. He thought back to his reaction to her news about Rory. "I would have done it. Gone after her. I wanted to so many times. I hated that you were so stubborn."

"I know. But in retrospect, I don't regret it. I think she's much stronger and more sure of herself for having come to that realization on her own. I don't know if she would've been able to handle not getting that New York Times internship if she hadn't gone through all that. Just look at what she's doing. I loved you for being so unrelentingly passionate about Rory. I still do." She frowned then, accidentally stumbling across a realization. She narrowed her eyes at Luke for a moment wondering if she should even mention it.

"What?"

"It's... just that… your interactions with Rory from the very beginning endeared you to me. You two developed your own friendship apart from me. I loved seeing that. I love that you still have that. But just the _thought_ of me having that with April repulsed you…"

"It didn't _repulse_ me," Luke sighed, "Lorelai, I thought we were past this."

"We… well… I… I still," She sighed, closing her eyes, looking for the right words. "It was a big thing, Luke. It went on for awhile. We're together again, and things are good. Right before April appeared, I thought we were finally on track. And we're there again, and... she'll be here soon… and there's all these memories… sometimes it's really hard not to be afraid of history repeating itself."

Luke sat up then, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Then until you can see that things are different now, I need you to trust me that they will be. I need you to trust me when I tell you that I look forward to you and April bonding over your disapproval of broccoli next to your burger and fries. I need you to trust that I am going to rely on you to explain to her that her dad's not as insane as he looks after I chase her first boyfriend out of the diner. Or whatever April's version of Dean would be."

Lorelai laughed softly and he smirked for a moment before he continued with a more serious tone.

"I blew it before, Lorelai. I loved seeing you two at her birthday party, don't doubt that for a second. I never had the chance to tell you because Anna pulled the rug out from under me so fast that day. But I laid there that night listening to you guys playing that weird chanting game, and I saw a glimpse of our future, and it made me happy. I know the exact feeling you're talking about. And I wish I'd been as strong as you had been the night you proposed to reach out and grab it. But we'll be in that place again, I just can't show you until she gets here. But I need you to trust me on this."

They held each other's gaze for a few more moments, Lorelai searching his face for any doubts. He looked pretty sure of things. Watching his eyes and considering his words, she felt the wave of sadness retreating as a wave of confidence in Luke slowly rolled in after it. She pulled herself up, wrapping her arms around Luke's torso and burying her head in his chest. She sighed, "I'm sorry stuff keeps coming up."

"I'd be more worried if it _didn't_ ," he responded, running his hand over her head and through her hair. "I'll spend the next fifty years sorting through our past if I have to."

Lorelai chuckled, "I don't think we'll need that long, but I like the idea of us together fifty years from now."

She pulled back from him, stole a glance into the box, and groaned as she fell back into Luke's embrace. She felt Luke straighten and lean forward slightly, trying to get a glimpse of what had caused her reaction. Knowing he wouldn't recognize the zipped dress bag, Lorelai pulled back again to watch his face as she spoke, "The too perfect wedding dress."

He grimaced as well, but spoke as his only memory of the dress surfaced, "I was going to tell you about April that night you showed it to me. Looking back, if I had, we might've gotten off on the right foot with that, and I might've seen the dress again in June."

Lorelai sighed, "What the hell do I do with it now? Sell it? Donate it?"

Luke frowned. When he saw her in it, he didn't want anything more in that moment than to see her marrying him in it. He still wanted that. "Keep it."

She bit her lip as she stared back at the zipped bag in the bottom of the box.

Luke understood her uncertainty - it was no different than his feelings about the ring. "Why don't I take it with me tomorrow and put it in the closet in the apartm - office - above the diner," he saw her crack a smile at the name change, "You can decide how you feel about it later."

She nodded, "That works. Just… give us a minute."

Lorelai grabbed the dress from the box and ran upstairs. She hung it from her closet door, unzipped the bag, and pulled the dress out, then spread it out on the bed and caressed the wrinkled fabric. It was still so beautiful and so _her._ It didn't have the foreboding "too perfect" feeling now. Instead, it just looked like a bearer of unfulfilled wishes. She fingered the bodice in thought.

Luke was right. She couldn't get rid of it. At least not until she was ready to be thinking about wedding dresses again, and could decide whether or not it had too much negative history. She slowly ran her hand down its length one last time before zipping the bag back up and carrying it downstairs.

In her absence, Luke had labeled two of the boxes "trash" and "donate" and relocated the items they'd already gone through. He returned many things to the kitchen, and was back on the couch sitting tiredly with his chin in his hands, trying to keep his eyes open as he watched a blur of scores on the TV screen. Lorelai laid the bag on the back of the couch for Luke to take with him in the morning, and turned off the TV.

"Come on, roomie, time to hit the hay."

Luke yawned and smiled, helping Lorelai collect the rest of the items she was keeping before heading upstairs to their room.

As she laid in bed, Lorelai relaxed, feeling almost giddy about reuniting with so many of the things she'd thought were gone forever, but even more relieved at the conversation the memories had dredged up.

She hadn't yet mentioned the one thing left that was still bothering her: where the hell was her ring?

* * *

 _Author's Notes: Way back in the Middle Ages, Boxing Day was celebrated the day after Christmas by giving gifts to the needy._ _Happy Boxing Day, Luke and Lorelai! ;)_


	8. Hens and Cakes

**Chapter 8: Hens and Cakes**

"Just how much longer you thinkin' about keepin' this up?" Babette Dell threw a final handful of feed toward Moira, her favorite of Patty's free-range hens, and joined Patty on her porch. She grabbed a glass from the nearby table and filled it with iced tea from a nearby pitcher.

Patty joined her, picking up her fan to cool down in the summer heat, "Until their wedding reception. If nothing else, Tilly knows I mean business now. The photos of her skinny dipping in the lake that wound up in half the books at Andrew's are just the tip of the iceberg. And I believe Taylor's chocolate delivery is still backordered."

Babette chuckled. Patricia LaCosta was not one to mess around with. East Side Tilly had somehow managed to find out about Luke moving in with Lorelai before Babette did. And having seemingly forgotten the promise she made to leave all gossip surrounding that particular couple alone, Tilly made sure half the town knew before breakfast.

Days prior to Tilly's mistake, Taylor had attempted to call a town meeting to address Patty's threats, and since then, he'd been unable to order more fudge, chocolate syrup, and all types of chocolate ice cream. Babette still wondered how Patty pulled that one off, but Patty refused to budge.

"What if they've decided not to get married? You've seen their track record. And with him movin' in, they may have just decided not to even go that route."

"I considered that. But I know Luke. He'll never admit it, but I know he wants that with Lorelai. If nothing else, I could maybe see them eloping, but I would still put money on Lorelai wanting some kind of party. But they've both eloped before and it didn't get them anywhere. I think there will be a wedding."

"The problem is gettin' 'em there."

Patty sighed. She was still angry at herself for not letting the details of Lorelai's drunken toast at Lane's wedding reach Luke. Every bit of meddling she and the town had done in that relationship had only hurt it. And _without_ their meddling, the two of them had actually seemed to make a lot of progress recently.

Babette and Patty watched as the sun began to set, enjoying the cooler air as the sky darkened, both trying to consider what was best for two people who were closer to them than most of their own relatives.

Patty had been greatly enjoying watching Stars Hollow tiptoe around the town's favorite couple. They had taken the "no gossiping about or otherwise meddling with Luke and Lorelai's relationship" demand to the extreme, and outright refused to acknowledge their relationship… or even their presence on the many occasions they were walking around town together. It wasn't what Patty had originally meant, but it worked well enough, and she found it quite entertaining to observe.

Kirk, always watching and attempting to emulate Luke, seemed to be the one having the hardest time with it. Patty had found herself frequently hopping into her dance studio in a fit of laughter after watching Kirk act even more awkward than usual.

Of course, she, Babette, and Morey had kept and compared notes over the last few months, but they could be trusted to keep things from getting out of hand. Morey's ever-present sunglasses and usual position at his piano that faced Lorelai's house had been their secret weapon for years. It had proved particularly useful in keeping tabs on the couple recently, as Luke had already been spending all his free time there before moving in.

"You really think we should ease up and see what happens?" Patty asked, feeling a slight tug of excitement.

"Yeah. I think now might be a good time to let Kirk at 'em. Poor kid's been chompin' at the bit lately. Wants to propose to Lulu but can't do it without talkin' to Luke first. Weirdo. Let me check my calendar and see what's happenin'." Babette reached into her purse and pulled out a day planner, licked her finger, and flipped through it, "Oh! April's here next week!"

"Oh, that's right. Too bad Rory's off conquering the world; a few hints about what a cute family the four of them make couldn't hurt."

The two friends shared a look.

Patty stood, throwing her fan on the table. "All right. Let's end it. You call Jackson and I'll go find Kirk." Babette was off like a rocket, running back toward her house, breasts held firmly in place. Patty laughed, and went to find the number for her second ex-husband's cousin's best friend's son. He had been one of Patty's most promising dance students, and despite his discovery that there was far more money to be had in the chocolate industry, the two still kept in touch...

* * *

Lorelai and Sookie walked around Stars Hollow, enjoying a long afternoon to themselves. Lorelai desperately needed a break from the inn, and Sookie, on maternity leave, needed a break from Davey, Martha, and new little Theodore.

"I don't know what the deal is. You saw what Davey and Martha were like. Little Theo is always asleep! It's amazing! He's my favorite."

"Sookie, you can't have favorites."

"No, I do love all three. Today, though, he _is_ my favorite. I got sleep, I get lunch with my best friend, and someone else is doing the cooking. It's beautiful! How's co-habitating been?"

"It's only been a week, but so far the only weird thing is not switching it up between the house and the diner. I miss sneaking down there for late night pie, but Luke's made sure to always bring me home any leftovers. It's kinda cute in a gross couple-y way. Other than that, though, it's pretty much the same as it's been the last month or so. Just no more half-naked forays into the empty diner."

"Some people have a cigarette, Lorelai Gilmore has pie."

Lorelai laughed as they approached Luke's, but stopped upon noticing the chalkboard sign in front of Taylor's ice cream shop, "Oooh! Sookie! The chocolate is back! The chocolate is back! Dessert first, then lunch!" The two rushed into Taylor's, both ordering scoops of triple chocolate ice cream, Lorelai adding fudge.

Taylor noticed the two and walked over, "Lorelai! You haven't been in here in awhile."

"Your lemon specials were gross, Taylor, even by my standards. Chocolate is what the ice cream gods intended."

"Well, sometimes it's a good idea to switch things up a little... " he waffled awkwardly. Lorelai and Sookie exchanged a look that was a combination of amusement and confusion. "But I've... learned my lesson. I will make sure to always have extra chocolate in stock."

"You better. Nixing the fudge was almost unforgivable. Experiment on the other flavors, but don't touch the chocolate." Lorelai wagged her finger at him. Taylor looked like he wanted to defend himself, but sighed in response instead, and went back to arranging a candy display.

"Hey, Lorelai? Didn't you tell Luke you were having pie with lunch?" asked Sookie.

Lorelai grinned, "Yep. Ice cream now. Then lunch. Then pie. But maybe we should avoid standing near the window," she motioned to a table that wasn't in Luke's direct line of sight, but from which she still had a view of the diner's counter.

They both hopped up on stools, and Lorelai watched Luke through the window for a moment before turning to her smiling friend. "What?"

"You're making goooogly eyes at your maaaaan." Sookie mocked.

"What? No I wasn't. I was checking to see how busy it was."

"Uh-huh. Except you can't see the tables from here." Sookie pointed her spoon at Lorelai, "And no one looks at tables like that." Lorelai stuck her tongue out at her friend in response, and Sookie continued, "Things really _are_ good, huh?"

"Very. It sucks that it took a year and a half for things to get here, though."

"Yeah, but you guys are like my chocolate cake recipe. The first time I made it, something was off. I made it a second time, using better chocolate, and something was _still_ off. Then, the third time? I made a few changes, and used that insanely good stuff that costs an arm and a leg, and well, you've had it. You know. It doesn't get any better than that."

"No, it doesn't. And now that I'm thinking about it, this ice cream is lacking by comparison."

Sookie laughed, "If Theodore keeps up this sleeping schedule, I'll hook you up. You know…" she waved her spoon at Lorelai, "That would make a pretty good wedding cake..."

Lorelai raised an eyebrow, "Sookieeee. When I need a cake, you'll be the first to know. After Rory, of course."

"And there will be a wedding cake?"

"Stop saying wedding cake so loud." Lorelai whispered, "The walls have ears." She nodded to Mrs. Cassini hovering nearby. "Yes. At some point, there will be a... cake. Today, there is not a cake. Or a plan for cake."

"But you're talking about it. Oooh, you're talking about it!" Sookie was ecstatic.

Lorelai rolled her eyes, but was still smiling. "Okay, you goober, let's go grab some real food to balance out this ice cream. No more talk about… cake… until there's something to talk about. _You_ can't handle it."

The two left, headed next door, and walked toward the only empty table. Luke nodded and headed over, greeting Lorelai with a kiss. The usual hello peck lingered far longer than she would have expected for a busy afternoon. She gave him an odd look, "Hi…"

He smiled, awkwardly attempting to be nonchalant, "Hey."

Luke pulled out a chair for her, and after taking their orders, briefly squeezed her shoulder before walking back to the counter.

Lorelai looked over at Sookie, who was smiling. "That was nice," Sookie observed.

"Uh-huh, sure. It's also not normal Luke behavior." Lorelai frowned a little.

"Well, it's not normal Jackson behavior either, but I wouldn't be complaining if it just came out of the woodworks like that."

"Yeah, maybe." Lorelai caught Gypsy's eye at a nearby table, and Gypsy grinned, winked, and nodded.

Luke returned with their orders, and Lorelai and Sookie moved onto talking about the inn, all the crazy Michel stories Sookie had been missing since Theo was born, and the latest Rory news. After clearing their plates, Luke quickly sat down next to Lorelai, huddling in closely.

"Hey," he said quietly, "Did either of you notice anything weird today?"

"Weird… like... " Lorelai gestured at him with her hand.

"Like, Kirk." He'd missed her implication completely.

"Hon, Kirk _is_ weird."

"No, not weird _like_ Kirk, more like how Kirk is acting even _weirder_ than usual. He's been at the counter all day, and keeps comparing our relationship to his and Lulu's."

"Well, that… sounds like Kirk."

"He's barely talked to me in two months and when he did talk, he'd sit there muttering to himself. Today, he won't shut up."

Sookie glanced outside to see Mrs. Cassini holding court across the street. She squinted in thought. Mrs. Cassini gossiping wasn't odd in and of itself. But something about the timing… the walls having ears… her eyes went wide.

At the same time, Lorelai recalled Gypsy's earlier reaction and glanced around the diner. She didn't recall any heads turning away awkwardly at _any_ point during _any_ of her interactions with Luke.

"Lorelai…" Sookie pointed outside.

Lorelai gasped and grinned at Luke, "We exist again."

"That's what I was worried about," he grimaced.

"Hey, Luke. I think this calls for pie." Lorelai pointed at the pie case.

"You already had dessert."

"No I didn't."

"Oh, that must've been some other Lorelai having ice cream next door earlier."

"My grandmother is haunting Taylor's?!"

Luke sighed, giving up. "Fine. But you're getting blueberry, at least."

Lorelai grinned at Sookie, who was shaking her head in amusement.

Patty smiled from her table across the diner. It had taken nearly a week for the town to realize the gag order had been lifted. She was pleased to have used her powers for good, and smiled as she watched Luke gazing at Lorelai from his spot at the counter for a few more minutes.

She was pretty sure they were going to be okay.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: No one in the show ever referenced Patty's chickens again after "That Damn Donna Reed" all the way back in season 1. I thought I should change that!_

 _Thanks to everyone who has left reviews! I've spent so many months with this fic, only letting one other person read it, so it's fun to see the different reactions to things!_

 _This was a fun, short interlude before some bigger storylines begin, and you'll soon get to see a lot more of Rory's life in the coming chapters. Stay tuned! =)_


	9. Darwinian Theory

**Chapter 9: Darwinian Theory**

Rory was not having a good day.

It had, once again, been days since she'd had time for anything other than a text to friends and family. She was about to hit a deadline for one of her latest stories, was still trying to refine it using the suggestions her editor had sent, but was running into major writer's block. Her colleagues seemed to all be dealing with their own issues on varying personal and professional levels as well. The air was often tense among the group, and very little time had been spent socializing.

Rory shifted uncomfortably in her seat on the bus. She'd been copying her article down into a written notebook to see if writing it out would switch up her mental flow a little, though trying to balance her laptop and paper notebook wasn't exactly comfortable. After writing out the last few words, she slammed her laptop shut, enjoying the satisfying sound it made.

Looking around the bus, she found half the travelers were dozing; those that weren't asleep stared into their laptops, fingers flying across the keys. She spent the next several minutes putting pen to paper until she realized that the doodles her pen was making were not helping her make progress on her article. And the burger she just drew made her hungry. She wanted Luke's.

Rory reached for her phone, checking the time before hitting the first entry on her speed dial. She was pretty sure they were still in Colorado which would be 6pm Stars Hollow time. She still had another hour and a half before her deadline, which she felt should be enough time to disconnect from one world and plug into someone else's for a bit.

"It lives!" Lorelai answered happily, "Just give me _one_ second." Rory listened as Lorelai moved the phone away, trying to guess at what her mother had been in the middle of. "... so even if I did decide to sleep completely naked and let my hair explode into a gigantic mess, I'd still have no shoes, and that sounds really unsanitary in the city, and I know how you feel about sanitation, especially there…sooo... when you consider all of this, don't you think these two large bags are a better idea than that small one?" Rory couldn't hear the response from Luke. "I loooove you, Luuuuuke… okay, that's done. Hey, sweets, how's the road?"

"He's carrying two large suitcases downstairs right now, isn't he?"

"Yes. I'm not sure he actually sees my point, but he's dealing. Mister One Practical Bag that he is."

"Well, he's a guy. And it's Luke, so unless you managed to go somewhere fancy, he probably has one change of clothes in there, and is using the shoes on his feet."

"Right. Whereas I have three possible outfits, three different pairs of shoes to match, one extra pair, not to mention the pair of shoes I'm wearing on the drive out there. And bathroom necessities. And plenty of room for stuff I'm sure I'll bring home. Why are you talking so quietly? Is this a bus phone call?"

"Yeah. We're somewhere in Colorado... I think. It's a bad day. Everyone's in a funk for one reason or another."

"And are you funky, too?"

"I don't stink, but my article does. My final edit is due in an hour and a half, and I need to detach for a bit. So let's not talk about me. You excited about your New York trip?"

"Mostly. A little nervous. It's a long drive in that car with a teenager who I've spent almost zero time with. And Anna mentioned she can be a little unpredictable and over-emotional lately - teenage hormones and all."

" _You_ talked to _Anna?_ "

"No, we emailed. Luke is still convinced his laptop has a personal vendetta against him, and had me email Anna our address. She replied… and was almost _overly_ friendly, making small talk. It's all a little weird, but we've had a few email exchanges about April, mostly stuff that we didn't think Luke would handle particularly well. Girl stuff."

"Ah, girl stuff. I guess April's at that age, huh?"

"Yeah. Poor Luke. He doesn't seem to remember you going through it, so he doesn't believe me that teenage girls can be insane."

"I was never insane."

"Yeah, okay. Sure. You didn't cry in the bookstore because Andrew forgot to order a book for you. Or lock yourself in your room because you slammed your door so hard it screwed up the lock - over the fact that I ate the leftovers you wanted for dinner that night. You definitely never considered not going to Chilton because of a _boy._ That must have all been my _other_ daughter."

Rory cringed, "Okay, okay, I don't need to be reminded of any more. I don't even remember most of that, but I'm sure you could write a whole book of Rory's Puberty Tales. Being a teenager sucks, and I'm sure _your_ mother has even better ones."

"Oh, hush. Anyway, I told him to multiply the times I'm PMS-ing by a hundred, and he stared at me in horror, then went to get a beer from the fridge. Poor Lukey."

"Just wait till the holidays when there will be three of us. Assuming I get to come home for some of that. I don't really know how that's all going to work, to be honest."

"You better be here. I hated you being gone last year. I'll take anything I can get, as long as I'm not spending Christmas day pretending it's not Christmas again. Or trying to make up for it at Weston's after Christmas. Speaking of holidays, Luke actually reorganized some of our Christmas decorations into a sensible system."

"When did he do that? And why?"

"Two weeks ago when we were moving his stuff in. The state of our ornaments box disturbed him, so he fixed it. I went through a bunch of other stuff, too. Y'know, you're usually a lot better about labeling the boxes you put in the garage."

Rory's eyes grew wide as she realized what her mother was referencing. She probably should have told her about the Luke boxes. But if she had, the boxes would have probably wound up back in the street on trash day. And it certainly sounded like she'd discovered them at the right time... "Oh? What did you find?"

"Oh, I think you know," Lorelai teased, but her voice immediately lost its teasing tone, "I can't believe you did that, Rory. That was incredibly thoughtful."

"You've done it for me. And you weren't in any state to be making major decisions and throwing away all of that stuff. I almost had Babette store them for me, but I didn't trust her and Patty not to dig through them."

"They would've loved the box that mostly consisted of lingerie."

"Well now I'm _very_ glad that I didn't look through them before I moved them."

"You didn't?"

"No, I moved them from the edge of the driveway directly into the garage when you were at work that day. Why would I go through them?" Rory asked, confused.

Lorelai glanced down the hall and listened for any noises signaling Luke's return. "My, um, engagement ring is missing," she half-whispered.

Rory frowned. She hadn't been there when most of the stuff was actually packed into the box, she'd only seen the sorting, pre-boxing portion of the whole Luke Removal Process. "Are you sure it made it into there?"

"Um, yes, because it was the worst part of putting all that stuff into boxes. And, I think, the last thing I put in there, too, so it should've been on the top, but I checked the garage, the ground outside the garage, everything."

"Weird. Maybe you have _real_ ghosts that are haunting all your haunted items." Rory joked.

"Not funny."

"What did you want it for… wait… were you going to put it back on?!" There was no way, no matter how far away she was on this tour bus, that her mom would not raise hell to get ahold of her if she were engaged. Not after the way it happened last time. And especially not after her mother and father eloped. Or so she'd hoped.

"Of course not, Rory. If that happened, and I couldn't get ahold of you, I would be chasing that tour bus down to get to you."

"Well, I'm glad we learned that lesson. Are you sure you didn't just miss it when you went through everything?"

"No. We took one thing out at a time, remembering or trying to remember why each thing had been special to me. I'm still not sure about the bent butter knife. Or where it even came from. But the two things I was waiting for and dreading the most were the wedding dress and the ring. Found the wedding dress, haven't come across the ring."

"I really have no idea what to tell you, Mom, that's really weird. The boxes hadn't been opened or anything?"

"Didn't look like it."

"Huh. Maybe it fell out somewhere. Were you okay seeing the dress again?"

"Not... really. I didn't know what to do with it. Luke suggested I keep it for now, and he has it stored at the apartment. He convinced me to wait until I was planning a wedding again before I make any major decisions. I just don't know if the dress is too... haunted or not yet."

Rory was shocked to hear her mother talking about a future wedding so nonchalantly. None of Lorelai's engagements or wedding plans had been so… _intentional._ Not even when she and Luke had gotten engaged last time had they addressed where the relationship was headed. It was simply not what Lorelai did. Things really were changing over there. She ached a little to not be a part of it.

"Mom… you… wow."

"Wow? What part of that warrants a wow?"

"You're not engaged."

"No."

"You're not actively planning a wedding."

"Uh, no."

"And you're talking about the eventuality of one."

"Yeeeaaaah… what are you getting at?"

"You're just so grown up." Rory feigned sniffles, "My mommy is growing up and I'm not even there to see it. Look at you, all talking about your future together and not freaking out about it. I'm so proud of my little girl."

She heard Lorelai laugh softly into the phone, "Oh, Rory. I miss you so much, kid."

"I miss you too. I really wish I was there right now. So much is changing."

"Nothing is changing. It's just… _evolving_. It's time, you know?"

"I do." A lightbulb went on in Rory's brain, and she tapped her pen against her notebook in thought... something about the confidence of the young volunteer she'd met in Denver… that the country was finally ready for a better way of doing things...

Not changing, but evolving.

That was it.

That was the story.

"And, actually, Mom, you just made me realize exactly what I need for my article, so I'm going to rudely interrupt you before I lose this moment of inspiration. Just know I really am proud of you and Luke. You'll call me when you get back from New York?"

"Wow. Glad to inspire. Make sure you specifically remind me which article it was when you email me the link."

"Of course," Rory smiled.

They said their goodbyes, and Rory grabbed her pen, writing out new paragraphs and immediately going back and crossing out the majority of the old ones. She added notes in the margins of her notebook, and began changing the entire tone of her story. The changes were far beyond what her editor had talked about, but she knew this was more along the lines of what he would've wanted to begin with. Reading back through her work, she smiled, adding a title to the top of the page: A Nation Evolving.

Rory reached for her laptop, eager to type up the final draft.

* * *

Scott Morrow re-read the email in front of him a third time before pulling off his glasses and letting the words blur in front of him as he focused on thoughts beyond his screen.

He'd had extremely low expectations when he'd agreed to take on the job as senior editor at Blast. It had come down to the fact that he knew print media was slowly dying, and he needed to get his foot in the digital door as fast as possible. He wasn't happy about the change. But his old friend Hugo Gray was hardly an optimist, and he wouldn't have spoken the way he did about Blast, his new online news site, unless he was absolutely certain it was going to be a success.

And so, three weeks later, Scott gave up his expensively furnished office overlooking Rockefeller Center in favor of sharing an office with another editor, whose only window faced the brick wall of another building - in Bridgeport, Connecticut of all places.

He wasn't thrilled with the move, initially, but the different pace and style of his new job kept life interesting enough. Besides, if Hugo were to be believed, it would only be another year or so before they'd need to expand, and ideally, that would mean a move back to New York. Growth like that would mean being able to hire more editors under him so he wasn't working quite so hard to keep tabs on so many different writers on his own. Scott wasn't holding his breath, but from what he'd seen so far, he was hopeful.

Which was not to say he hadn't had his moments of doubt. He and several others at Blast had worked extremely hard to get credentials for the Obama campaign's press tour. It was their best hope for gaining relevancy in the rapidly growing market of digital journalism. They'd used Daniel Bales - a young, but experienced political writer - to freelance a few of their articles, and Bales had been eager to officially join the staff when they dangled the press credentials in front of him.

In Scott's experience, if you married another journalist, and your spouse got a job elsewhere, you put your work first, and saw your spouse when you could. Bales, apparently, was not nearly as concerned with his professional proclivities as he was with his personal life, because he was giving his notice _from the campaign trail_ shortly after joining it after his fiancée (clearly more dedicated to her craft) picked up a writing job in Dubai.

Hugo was livid at first, but after a few minutes alone in his office, he was back in front of Scott's desk with a name: Rory Gilmore. He asked Scott to scan through her work and let him know if she was someone he'd be able to work with, and if so, he'd offer her a move from the freelance team, and put her on his team as a full employee, instead.

Scott hadn't expected much. He hated Ivy League kids on principle. He'd taken a year off after high school to work in order to save up money just for community college. Later, after he was accepted to NYU, he worked two jobs in addition to building up a fair amount of debt in student loans.

As a writer, he knew he lacked the polish of the more successful journalists in his field, and had to work twice as hard to move up. He was an excellent editor, however, and knew that was where he belonged; the hard work eventually paid off. He had a great eye for talent, the ability to deliver a solid story, and he worked very well with his writers to get the best possible content from them without making them hate him.

After Bales, Scott wasn't about to say yes to someone so young without some extensive research. Hours later, he was sitting in a sea of Rory Gilmore's articles. Not only from Blast, the Stamford Eagle Gazette, and the Yale Daily News, but her prestigious preparatory school in Hartford as well. Her writing was far beyond what he expected from someone so... overly groomed.

By the end of the day, he'd already forgotten about the betrayal of Daniel Bales and was standing in front of Hugo Gray's office, telling his boss to do whatever he needed to do to get this Gilmore kid. Hugo told him he was insane, he already knew Rory was a great writer, and he wouldn't have suggested her for the job otherwise.

After laughing his old friend out of his office, Hugo scheduled a dinner meeting with Rory, desperately hoping she didn't already have a job lined up, especially after the ridiculous amount of work Scott had put in. It turned out, the result of all Scott's research was that he knew Rory's writing style so well, the two became a powerhouse of a team.

Every week, the editors met with Hugo and their marketing team to go over the website's statistics: which articles were getting the most hits, which were failing, which writers were popular, and a whole lot of things that Scott never had to deal with in print. He had initially dozed through the meetings... until Rory Gilmore joined their staff. Her articles were quickly becoming their primary source of incoming traffic for the website as a whole; the ad revenues on her pages were soaring.

It wasn't long before he received a few emails from former colleagues in various forms of media asking who this kid was and how he found her. If Rory Gilmore had any idea what kind of attention she was getting, Scott worried she'd be gone in a heartbeat. His only consolation was that she was so young, with so little experience, she needed the time with Blast to start giving herself more professional experience. And Blast needed her for the same reasons.

Scott was surprised when one of Gilmore's latest stories landed in his inbox just under its deadline. She was generally done several hours in advance, even when it was a story she was struggling with. Stranger still was that the finished piece she sent him was significantly changed from the one they'd been working on, completely throwing away its original theme as well as the notes he'd given her.

He put his glasses back on, printed the story, and headed to Hugo's office.

"Scott, what's going on with your face?" his friend and boss jested.

Without answering, Scott shut Hugo's door and dropped "A Nation Evolving" on his desk, crossing his arms in front of him.

"What's this?" Hugo waited for an answer. Getting none, he picked up the papers in front of him and began reading.

"You want to sell it before we publish it and get a few guest spots on bigger sites." Hugo guessed.

"I've had multiple people ask about Gilmore's availability for freelancing or doing guest pieces. We keep her extremely tied up since we have no other political reporters out there, and there's just not enough talent in that department to move stuff around. We are just really damn lucky that no one has contacted her directly. Probably because she hasn't made a name for herself yet. But this. This could. And we can either help that happen, and get ourselves some extra attention. Or, this goes up and she gets an offer from a bigger fish tomorrow morning."

Hugo rubbed his chin. In the few months Rory Gilmore had been working with Scott, he'd watched her go from promising young writer, to talented young journalist; she was a great reporter, but what stood out most was her ability to carry out a deep human interest theme. He wasn't quite as worried as Scott was about losing her, but he'd seen papers take a chance on a green reporter before, so it was still a minor concern.

"Forward it to me. Let's whip through all our contacts tonight, see who we can get the best options from. I'll hit up Abrams and Diaz. We'll meet at nine tonight and see what we've got. Check the campaign schedule and see how fast we can get Gilmore a few days off to fly in for a meeting. It's still early for her quarterly review, but it's early to be seeing this level of work from her, too, so it is what it is. Send that new guy - Chen - out to fill in for her for a bit. He's not as good a writer, but he's had experience on a press tour and political writing, so he'll fit."

Hugo watched his old friend bolt out of his office and back down to his own. He smiled and shook his head as he looked down at the story. How is it this kid had interned for Mitchum Huntzberger, and the man hadn't snatched her up the second she graduated? Mitchum had always bragged about having a sense for talent, yet here was one of the most talented journalists Hugo had seen in a decade. And she was on staff at his own little online enterprise instead of working for one of the hugely popular Huntzberger papers. Hugo shrugged it off and got to work promoting the work of his star writer. He picked up his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and started his first call.

"AJ! How's it going?"

* * *

The bus pulled up in front of the Red Roof Inn, leaving Rory and a few other reporters at their stop for the night. Rory yawned. Sleep or eat? Sleep or eat? She checked her phone. 9:30pm local time. 11:30pm Stars Hollow time.

After asking her fellow low budget travelers their plans for the evening, Eric, Kyla, and Rory checked into their rooms, and met back outside before walking across the street to a 24 hour diner with "Jerr 's" lit up in red neon - the "y" at the end of "Jerry's" seemed to be permanently dark, not even emitting so much as a flicker of light. But the food smelled good, the staff was friendly, and the coffee was decent. It wasn't Luke's, but it was far better than some of the sludge she'd suffered through the last few months.

"Thank goodness it has pictures," Eric began, looking through the menu, "If I have to look at another word, my eyes are going to fall out of my head."

"Don't even talk to me about that," groaned Kyla, "My editor hates me. I missed my deadline by two hours, and he still wanted one last round of edits. I'm done. I'm gonna hit record on my audio recorder, nap through tomorrow's luncheon, and just review my notes later. Everything I do is crap anyway, might as well keep up the trend. Wouldn't want to disappoint Mr. Picky."

"I haven't even heard back from my editor. I was in under the deadline, but he usually calls to confirm we're good. Other than his brief email confirming he received it, radio silence," Rory complained. She was genuinely worried. She wasn't sure how Scott was going to react to the major change to her story. She felt it was one of the best things she'd ever written, but up until now, she and Scott had kept a steady stream of communication. His email had read "thx - scott" and that's all she had in terms of feedback.

"That doesn't sound good," Eric sympathized, tapping a picture in his menu. "I think we all need to split a plate of onion rings. They look amazing."

Food was quickly ordered and served. Rory decided her burger was pretty good, but like the coffee, it still wasn't up to the high standard Luke had set. Two onion rings and two bites into her burger, Rory felt her phone buzzing in her pocket. Scott Morrow, the screen read. She grimaced at her friends. "Time to face the music. Cross your fingers."

She grabbed her phone and headed outside. She wasn't sure if the goosebumps were from the cooler night air or her nerves.

"Hey there, Scott," Rory answered nervously.

"Rory, hey." He sounded stressed but not upset. That was a plus. "You make it to Cheyenne yet?"

"Yeah, just a few minutes ago. I was hoping you'd-"

"Great, so you haven't unpacked yet." Rory's eyes widened. This was going far worse than she could have anticipated. "Here's the deal." Scott spoke quickly, "We need you back here for a few days. Sent David Chen in to hold down the fort, he's on a redeye there now. It doesn't look like there's anything big going on, so I'm okay with him covering things on the road for a bit. We've got you on a flight out of Denver at eight in the morning, sorry I know you just left there, to Bradley, and a car will be waiting for you there to take you straight here. There's a hotel near the office, but Hugo thinks you'll probably want to see your family, so we can figure the rest out after you get here. Any questions?"

Rory was confused. He didn't sound upset, but why on earth would they be summoning her back to Connecticut if not to lay into her about going a bit rogue on that last piece? It seemed a little heavy handed when he could just yell at her over the phone. She really must be doing worse than she thought. But all those arrangements didn't sound like something they'd make if she was in trouble. She wasn't sure what to think.

"I, uh, yeah. That sounds great... Scott? Um, was the article-"

"Yeah, It was, uh, just fine. We'll talk more tomorrow. Go finish your dinner and get some sleep, tomorrow's gonna be a long day."

He hung up before she could ask any further questions and leaned against the wall of the diner, thoroughly bewildered. She walked back inside, and slumped forward in her seat. She felt Kyla's hand patting her on the back, "Rory, it can't be that bad. You've been killing it with-"

"A car's picking me up in the morning to take me back to Denver. I have a flight to Connecticut tomorrow morning. And a car's picking me up from the airport to take me directly to the office. Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred dollars."

"Was he really that upset?" Eric asked, concerned. He, Kyla, and Rory had all bonded over being newbies to the press corps, but he held Rory in high regard. She was incredibly humble for someone who could tell a story the way she did, and he really hoped she'd remember his name someday when she was sitting pretty at the top. Or at least buy him a fancy lunch, if nothing else. If she was in hot water, there was no hope for anyone.

"He didn't sound like it, that's what's so weird," Rory lamented, grimacing at her burger, which she was no longer hungry for. "He didn't give me any clues and I have no idea what is going on. And a few days off? In the middle of the campaign trail? That doesn't sound good at all."

"Like a suspension? That doesn't add up. Rory, this has to be something else," Kyla offered.

Rory shrugged hopelessly and threw a fry back on her plate as she stood. "I'm sorry, guys. I'm not hungry and I need to get some sleep before tomorrow's journey home. Hopefully, I'll see you again in a few days. Otherwise, you have my phone number and email address…"

"No, don't even go there. We'll see you in a few days. Have fun, eat at that Luke's place you always talk about, and tell them Eric Lasser will personally kick their asses if they fire you."

Rory managed a half smile as she dropped a few bills on the table and walked out, her stomach bearing the brunt of her nerves.

* * *

 _AN: I agonized for days deciding what on earth to call the online publication Rory was writing for. I didn't want it remotely close to something that already exists, and a site named after a "news blast" seemed good enough. I really thought I might change it up through this last series of edits. But I couldn't think of anything better, and I'm used to it now, so it stays! Really wish the show had taken care of that for me, though! ;)_


	10. AJ Comes Through

**Chapter 10: AJ Comes Through**

Lorelai's phone was ringing for the fifth time. Luke looked over from the driver's seat of the truck, his patience flying out the window. "She's not going to stop. Answer it."

"Do _you_ want to talk to my mother? Pull over and I'll let you answer it," Lorelai retorted. She didn't understand why Luke was annoyed. Emily had only called _his_ phone twice.

"Lorelai. Answer. The damn. Phone."

"Fine, Grumpy McGrumperson!" She flipped open her phone and hit the speakerphone button, "Hel-"

"Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, what if I was dead?"

"Then… you wouldn't be calling my phone?" She heard Emily sigh and saw Luke shake his head. "Sorry, Mom. Since you're not dead, I am guessing you had some other reason for calling?"

"Yes. Have you heard from Rory?"

"Yeah, I talked to her last night."

"Oh my god, Lorelai, I can't believe it. This is amazing!" Emily had just gone from pissed to ecstatic.

Lorelai looked over at Luke, confused. "Uh. What, exactly?"

"I thought you said you talked to her?"

"Yeeeessss. She was having a hard time with an article she was working on, and made me do most of the talking. Did she do something?"

"The New York Times website, Lorelai. Not the main story, but still front and center on their website. A Nation Evolving by Rory Gilmore."

Lorelai's hand hit the dash as Luke quickly pulled over to the shoulder. "Jesus Christ, Luke," she glared at him. "She's in the Times?! How could she fail to mention that last night?"

"I don't know, but her phone is off, and mine's been ringing off the hook. She didn't tell you?"

"No! Is it in the paper? We can stop and-"

"No, it's an online exclusive. On the _New York Times website._ Lorelai, the New York Times… your father and I have read it three times, and we still can't believe it. And Lorelai, it's beautiful. You're going to be so proud. _So_ proud." There were few times that Lorelai had ever heard her mother at such a loss for words that she kept repeating herself. There were even fewer times that Lorelai had heard her mother moved to the point of tears.

"What did you say it was called again?"

"A Nation Evolving."

Lorelai stared at Luke in surprise. He, on the other hand, while excited, had no idea what was going through his girlfriend's head, and simply waited eagerly for more information.

"Evolving. Um… I... she said… she… I… she was working on that last night. That's the piece she was having such a hard time with."

"Maybe it was the pressure of writing for the Times."

"But she doesn't work there. How is she-"

"Hello, Lorelai," it was her father on the phone now, "The bottom says 'This appears courtesy of Blast, a subsidiary of Gray Media' and it hyperlinks to the same article on Blast's website, which I haven't even been able to open all morning. Now did I hear your mother correctly, you didn't know anything about this?"

"No, I didn't." Lorelai was still in shock. She couldn't believe Rory wouldn't have told her what the article was for. "I knew she was working on it, but from what it sounded like, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary."

"Well, you really should get to a computer as fast as possible, Lorelai. You are going to be so proud of your daughter."

"I always am. Thanks, Dad, I'm gonna let you go so I can try and get ahold of Rory."

Lorelai ended the call and, not knowing what else to do, hit the speed dial for Rory, unbuckled her seatbelt, and hopped out of the truck.

Luke, concerned for the crazy woman walking alongside speeding traffic, got out and chased her down. "Lorelai! Where are you going?!"

"Nowhere. I just… straight to voicemail! GAH!" She put her phone back in her pocket, and shook her hands, attempting to release the excited energy that had been building up. She grabbed Luke's arms, hands gripping the area just below the crease of his elbow. His hands curled loosely around her arms in response. "Luke. My kid just wrote something for the New York Times."

She was smiling and wild eyed, and soon they were hugging on the side of the road, Lorelai bouncing in Luke's arms as traffic flew past them. She could swear she felt Luke join her for a bounce or two, but she knew better than to mention it. After a few moments, Lorelai realized that if she couldn't get ahold of Rory, she needed to get to their hotel as fast as possible so she could read the article, and released Luke from the hug, dragging him back to the truck instead.

"Punch it, Chewie!"

* * *

Rory readjusted her black blouse and pants, smoothing out as many wrinkles as she could as she exited the car. She looked up at the old office building whose eighth floor held the offices of Blast. It was the first time she'd actually been there, and it was weird to think that while she was writing articles in her pajamas, the people in this building were the ones reviewing and publishing her work.

"Ma'am, we can leave your luggage in the car. I'll be back later to take you to your hotel." Her driver, whose friendly demeanor reminded her a little of Logan's driver, smiled kindly as he shut the door behind her.

"Thanks, John. I, uh, I don't have any cash on me to tip you with, I'm sorry."

"Not necessary! We have the same employer. I'll see you later."

And with that, he was gone, leaving her alone to face her fate. She walked into the lobby and into the old elevator, taking a deep breath as she hit the "8" with a shaky finger.

Rory closed her eyes, willing herself to breathe normally while the elevator moved upward, dinging as it passed each floor. Finally, it stopped, and she stepped out into a comfortable office floor; it was warm, welcoming, and buzzing with activity as the late afternoon wore on.

"Rory!" Hugo Gray called over from the far end of the large room. His smile was large and cheerful. She couldn't remember seeing him smile on the few occasions they'd spoken in person - he'd come off as a fairly stoic. As she drew closer, she noticed his appearance was more wrinkled and rumpled than hers was. His eyes, though smiling, looked exhausted.

Rory shook his extended hand, and found his greeting warm and friendly. "Come in my office, Rory. Scott's already in there."

She entered his office and found the decor similar to the rest of the company's floor. Simple, a little contemporary, but cozy. A man with messy reddish brown hair, a wrinkled light blue polo shirt, and dark grey pants was sprawled and lightly snoring atop a worn brown leather couch.

Hugo gestured to a set of chairs nearby and kicked the couch hard. The sleeping man, rather than jerk awake, merely opened one eye. Upon seeing Rory, both eyes quickly blinked open, and he stood up immediately, sticking his hand out to her with a huge smile on his face, "Rory, Scott! Nice to finally meet you in person!"

His appearance, greeting, and general demeanor put Rory a little more at ease. They'd spent hours on the phone, exchanged hundreds of emails, and if there was reason to be worried about the meeting at this point, it didn't seem to be as dire as she'd thought.

"Rory, can I get you anything? Water, coffee, donut? I think that's about all we've got left at this point, it's been a… day."

"Coffee would be great, actually. One sugar, please."

Hugo walked toward his door. "Scott, you can go ahead and get started. I'm gonna grab you two some coffee, and I'll be back."

Rory sat in one of the chairs, and Scott sat toward the edge of the couch, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees.

"It's great to finally meet you in person. I wasn't a huge fan of having to rush you out into the field like that without meeting you first, but that… what's his name... that Bales kid… didn't leave us with much of a choice when he left. We worked too hard to get a spot for the campaign, and after spending hours with your writing, I knew it was something you could handle. I wouldn't have pulled you out if this wasn't important. And before we go any further, let me tell you, you being here today is a _good thing_."

Rory felt the stress of the last several hours slowly slide off her shoulders and she released a long, slow breath. "To be honest, writing for an online publication like this is nothing like I've ever done before. It's been a very interesting learning experience."

"Yeah, the whole online thing was never something I saw myself getting into. I've been in print forever, but Hugo and I go way back. I wouldn't be here if I didn't think he was onto something big. But we're all working to get this thing off the ground. The hours are ridiculous, and I'm the senior editor, which doesn't mean much considering I do the work of about three other editors on top of that… kinda just rolling with the punches for now. You'd know. Life on the campaign trail isn't really something you can learn in advance either, you just gotta run with it and learn as you go. You still enjoying it?"

"Absolutely. It's amazing to be on the front lines of what's happening with what I think may be our next president, and while I'd like to take credit for picking things up on my own as fast as I did, I've had a lot of help from the other reporters."

"The way I hear it, you've gotten the _attention_ of a lot of other reporters. If they're helping you, it's not just for your benefit." Scott grinned. "Rory, I have read literally everything you've written. _Everything_. From high school up until today. I'm not a great writer myself, but I know talent when I see it. And I don't believe in god-given talent in writing. No one gets to be good at this without doing their homework. And I usually can't stand overly primed writing, which is what I usually get from someone with your schooling. You're different."

Rory was a little taken aback. So far, this was the exact opposite of the conversation she'd expected to have today, and it made her think back to the conversation she'd had with Mitchum Huntzberger during her internship - quite the dichotomy.

"I- well- _thank you_. And I know my resume might read that way, but I'm really not some rich, Ivy League kid. I wasn't raised that way. Writing is important to me. It always has been. So your feedback means a lot."

Hugo chose that moment to slide open his office door, using his chin to help steady the two coffees stacked in his other hand. "Remind me to send someone to do this next time, my skills as a waiter have deteriorated over the last twenty years." He handed his employees their cups, and grabbed a tissue to wipe a few drops of coffee from his tie as he sat in the chair across from Rory. "So, where are we?"

"Still adulating our little star reporter, here." Scott grinned and Hugo smirked back at his friend. Rory was still in a bit of a daze.

"Rory, allow me to apologize. We look like crap, and Scott and I have picked up about an hour or two of sleep over the past twenty four hours. Nothing going on right now is in any way orthodox. But I'm learning that in this business, nothing is in any way orthodox, anyway. We're all learning as we go, and right now, I'm learning that we need to increase our tech budget because our servers have been choking trying to handle the amount of traffic we're getting. I assume you know why, by this point."

Rory blinked, trying to recall the headlines she'd seen passing through airports, but nothing stood out. Her mind was still processing "star reporter". "Um. Not really. Did something happen while I was in transit? I haven't even so much as looked at my phone since last night."

Scott and Hugo exchanged a long glance.

Rory looked from person to person, waiting for someone to fill her in.

Hugo cleared his throat, leaned forward in the same way Scott was, and continued. "Rory. We didn't expect this. I didn't expect the level of work we've gotten from you, and I didn't expect us to hit this massive growth spurt we've seen. Since we're still getting our feet wet, one of the things we're doing is quarterly reviews. Just checking in with all our employees every few months to touch base, make sure we're all on the same page. We've got a small staff, and a lot of people are overworked, but that's to be expected while we're still getting off the ground here. I just want to make sure we don't lose anyone over it."

Hugo paused, looking at Rory a little more intensely, "We wouldn't be doing yours for another month, and I would've normally had us just do this over a conference call since your job in the field is incredibly important. And I know you're probably not too thrilled to be pulled away. But something came up that threw a wrench into my intended process."

He nodded slightly to Scott, who continued, "Rory, for the past month you've raised a lot of heads in this industry. I've had other contacts emailing me about you, asking where the hell we found you. You've upped the caliber of our stories to the point that we're getting more quality writers interested in working here because they like what they're seeing from us - from you. Hugo can explain the rest of the impact later. For now, let me cut to the chase. Last night, your article was way too good for just our little site."

Rory shifted in her chair, " _Too_ good?"

Scott chuckled, "Yeah. So, after Hugo, another other guy here, and I spent hours going back and forth among various contacts… your story was featured on the New York Times website - not the paper, but this is still a pretty big deal. I probably don't need to go into the whole story about the digital age affecting print readership."

Rory stared at him, not quite believing what she was hearing. "My story. That I completely redid _at the deadline_."

"It's mostly in line with what I'd wanted to see. I expected more revision and less rewrite, but Gilmore, you're a writer, and you've been an editor; sometimes you gotta go with your gut," Scott shrugged.

Hugo stood and walked over to his desk, moving his mouse to wake up his computer. "So, going backwards a bit, since we hired you, here's a very brief summary of what's happened over here: our views, traffic, subscribers, and ad revenue has all gone up. People are in love with the way you're covering the campaign. You are able to blend circumstances, hard facts, and human interest in a unique way that we just don't see often.

"And then your latest story, well, the link back to Blast from the New York Times site was generating too much traffic and took our servers completely offline for awhile. They're back up and we brought in a few server admins to try and bandaid things until we can upgrade our infrastructure. We've landed some major ad deals, and finalized others. Since you began covering this campaign, and then after last night, our revenue - and our worth - has in creased to a point that we can put more money toward hiring and expanding. And hiring should be a lot easier since your work has drawn in similarly talented writers, which is something we had a hard time finding previously. The talent's out there, but people are understandably picky about where their words wind up."

Rory sat very still in her chair, still stunned. Words were barely registering, her brain tossing them into a "to be sorted later" bin.

"So, you can see why we decided to pull you in for your review, and um, do it a little early. The thing is, you're new. We're new. You could probably float a resume out to any number of people right now who'd recognize your name and hire you. But you'd be a small fish in a big sea. Here, you're our headliner, and you're part of something that's growing faster than I could've ever expected."

Rory shook her head, "I'm not leaving. I like what I'm doing. I like the experience I'm getting. I like what I'm seeing us do." She paused and sat up straight, "I'm honestly still processing all of this, but from what it sounds like, this is mutually beneficial, and I'm excited to be a part of it. All of it. The campaign and Blast."

Scott smirked, noting her dedication to her current assignment. Ah, writers.

Hugo clapped his hands together, "Excellent. Then, let's talk raises, your bonus, and future plans. And then we're all leaving for the day because I've been about to fall asleep standing up for the last hour."

* * *

Rory sat in her hotel room, still feeling a little shell-shocked. She'd gone from worrying over a deadline, to all but completely rewriting her story, to worrying she was about to lose her job, to getting a bonus, a raise, a new contract, and a few days off before meeting back up with the press tour. It was all a little unreal.

She waited until after she'd had a decent meal and a long, hot bath before turning her phone on and checking her voicemail. Her grandparents had been the first to call followed by two recruiters, a handful of friends she'd made from the DAR, two from her mother, several from different Yale friends - Paris and Doyle included - and one from Logan. Sitting on her bed in her robe, she listened to that last one again.

"ACE! The New York Times sure sounds like they must regret not giving you the Reston. I guess you're showing them, huh? I, uh, know things didn't end well with us, but… I'm proud of you. Keep it up."

She hadn't given herself much time to mourn her breakup with Logan. It still stung. She'd loved him, and had wanted to be with him. She still wished he'd talked to her before he decided to propose and make so many decisions about their future on his own.

If she and her mother were proof of anything, it was that proposals shouldn't be offered up until a couple had actually laid all their cards out on the table. Logan had gotten so caught up in getting his own life started, he hadn't stopped to consider that she was doing the same thing.

Had she agreed to marry him, and gotten this job, she wasn't so sure Logan would have been thrilled with the idea of her running around all over the country instead of planning their wedding. And that was the thing - wasn't her dream to write and travel? This was only one tiny step in that direction.

Logistics aside, losing Logan still hurt. She missed their banter and easy conversations, his smiling eyes, falling asleep next to him, waking up next to him…

Rory closed her eyes and sat heavily on the bed. She knew she needed to call her mom, and she couldn't wait to see her again. For now, she desperately needed a nap. She reached for her phone, set an alarm for 7:30pm, and collapsed back on the bed.


	11. Homecoming

**Chapter 11: Homecoming**

Lorelai dropped her shopping bags and collapsed dramatically next to Luke on their king-sized hotel bed.

"I can't move."

"Food or shopping killing you?"

"Both. But death from Frozen Hot Chocolate will wear off in a bit. The bank account is forever changed. The feet may never recover."

Lorelai sighed dramatically and rolled over, snuggling into Luke's side. As she began to lightly doze, she heard her Rory's ringtone go off in her purse. Immediately forgetting her exhaustion, full stomach, and sore feet, Lorelai lunged off the bed, dove for her purse, and grabbed her phone.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?"

"Everywhere. I'm not even kidding. I'm in Bridgeport and I have had the most insane twenty-four hours of my entire life."

"Bridgeport?! How are you in Bridgeport?!" Lorelai exclaimed. Luke sat up, equally intrigued, listening to Lorelai. "And I assume you know you are PUBLISHED ON THE NEW YORK TIMES WEBSITE!?"

"Aaahhh! YES! And that means you know too! Oh my god, this is the first time I've gotten to freak out over it with anyone. I've only had time to look at it twice! Mom, this is crazy. SO crazy."

"I know. I was dancing on the side of the road as we drove into the city. Literally dancing on the side of the road. With Luke! Mom called me, too. I guess she's become the head of the DAR chapter of the Rory Gilmore Fan Club because her phone was ringing off the hook all morning."

"Oh, man. I'll try to email most of the people that left me voicemails later, and I'll call Grandma and Grandpa after you. I still can't believe this."

"I can. You're amazing. But how did you get to Bridgeport? Last time I talked to you, you were on the bus on your way to Wyoming."

"Our offices are in Bridgeport, remember? After I submitted my article last night, they stayed up all night pitching it to a bunch of different publications. Remember Hugo's contact at the New York Times? AJ Abrams? He must've been tired of hearing my name and finally decided to give me a break. It's going to go live on a few other websites over the next few days, too. I didn't know _any_ of that that till today, though! I was freaking out! I practically rewrote the whole thing after we talked…"

Lorelai hit the speakerphone button and held the phone between her and Luke as they listened to Rory recount the past 24 hours.

"... so I'm not sure what your timeframe is tomorrow, but I'm gonna hang out at the office for awhile, then head to Stars Hollow for dinner and stay for a few days."

"We were-" Luke started, forgetting he'd been silent up till now.

"Luke!? Hi! Of course you're there!"

"Heh, uh, yeah, hey Rory. Your Mom put you on speakerphone. We're gonna pick up April in the morning, grab breakfast, and head out after that, so we should be home before lunch. You want anything specific for dinner?"

"Uh, Luke's?" Rory replied, stating the obvious.

"Seriously? Haven't you had enough of diner food?" Luke frowned.

"Not the same thing at all. There is your food and there is what the rest of the country refers to as diner food."

"Me making dinner at home is still _my_ food."

"Oh god, we covered this topic a long time ago," Lorelai interjected, rolling her eyes. "Rory, don't mind him. April said the same thing earlier today. Luke is just grumpy about it."

"I'm not grumpy. But if I'm spending my dinner at my place of business, all three of you are having salads with your burgers or you're not getting dessert," Luke grumbled, "Rory, I'll see you tomorrow. Congratulations again, I'm proud of you." And with that, he mouthed "grabbing a shower", stood, and walked over to the bathroom.

"Aw, I miss Luke. He's so funny. Salad with burgers. Ha ha."

Lorelai grinned, "I can't believe I get to see you tomorrow. I can't believe I get to see my New York Times published daughter tomorrow!"

"Website. New York Times _website_. We'll save the praise for the paper until I can figure out how to get my words in there."

"Whatever."

"You don't think April's gonna be upset I'm crashing in on her week, do you?"

"She called Luke today because she saw the article and was proudly informing her friends that the author is 'practically her sister', so no, I don't think she's going to be upset."

"And how are you doing?"

"I'm proud of you too."

"Uh-huh, and how are you doing knowing tomorrow starts April week?"

"Not much has changed since the last time you asked, Miss Nosy. I'm still a little nervous just because of the whole new dynamic, but I think Luke's worried about the same thing, being the only male and all. He said Paul Anka doesn't count."

"Yeah, probably not for this. At least I can offer my award winning Rory-buffer services for a few days." They laughed at that. "Hey, Mom, I still need to call Grandma and Grandpa back, and I should probably give Dad a call, too… and then I need some real sleep otherwise you're not going to enjoy me much tomorrow."

"Of course. At least I got the first call - hah!" Lorelai gloated before they said goodnight.

Lorelai plugged her phone in and placed it on the nightstand, then stared out the window overlooking the city for a few minutes. Someone in an office not far from where she stood now had made a decision about her daughter's career. She bounced on her heels a few times, feeling re-energized by Rory's call. No matter what tomorrow held, she'd get to hug her daughter. Her successful, brilliant daughter.

And in the meantime, she had booked a very nice hotel, with a very nice shower, in which stood a very nice man.

* * *

"Kristin, Maya, can you come sit on this?"

So far, April hadn't been able to get her luggage shut tight enough to even begin to attempt zipping it shut.

"Everyday physics at science camp! It's like third grade all over again," Maya joked, taking a seat on April's luggage. April laughed with her new friends as they helped each other throw enough weight behind their bags to zip them shut. They double-checked that they had each other's contact info one last time, and began dragging their heavy bags down the hall to the checkout table.

The camp had been amazing, and she'd been thrilled to stay for the advanced seminars the extra week, but April wasn't sad to see it end. She was too excited to be going back to Connecticut for a week before heading back home, and hadn't been able to think about much else the last few days. So much had changed since she'd been there last, and she was glad to hear her dad and Lorelai had reconciled. She and her aunt Liz had worried over how lonely he looked the last time she was in town.

April said an awkward goodbye to two more new friends - James and Brianna. They were from the New England area as well, which they'd bonded over. She liked Brianna well enough, but James… she was really going to miss James... or Jamie, as she'd taken to calling him.

She was still annoyed at her dad for not letting her take the train home with them. She would've even had the first stop as Jamie and Brianna both lived farther away in Massachusetts, so it wasn't like she would've been alone at any point. Riding her bike all the time between Woodbridge and Stars Hollow when she was younger was far more dangerous. Her mom had let her take the bus alone back home in New Mexico, this wasn't much different, just longer. Of course, despite that, her mom had been no use in this circumstance, siding with her dad - the worst of all scenarios.

As Jamie walked toward the doors of their hostel's lobby, Kristin poked April in the side, batting her eyelashes. April returned the poke, rolling her eyes. "We're just _friends._ "

Kristin laughed, "That's why I've been letting you two partner up all week? So you could be just friends?"

April was saved by the line advancing. As she checked out, she spotted her dad and Lorelai near the door and waved, then motioned for them to wait there. No need for them to try and weave through the growing crowd in the small area when they had to leave anyway. She hugged her friends goodbye one last time, and quickly rushed over to her dad, nearly tackling him in a hug.

"You've grown again!" Luke announced in surprise.

"Barely another inch since the last time you saw me. Hi, Lorelai!" she grinned excitedly, hugging Lorelai as well. "Did you talk to Rory yet?"

"I did! Last night. She's actually in Bridgeport and will be joining us for a few days before she hits the trail again."

"Perfect!" April squealed. "I still have to wrap up two more books on my summer reading list for my honors literature class, and I wanted to run some stuff by her."

"Oh, I'm sure she'll love that. I don't think she's getting to do much thinking about books lately."

"Yeah, but what she's doing is really cool." April bounced excitedly as they started walking. She watched her dad grimace as he pulled her heavy luggage and apologized.

"What'd they do, hand out rocks? Good thing this has wheels."

"Not that kind of science camp. I've got six weeks worth of clothes and stuff in there. And my notebooks from classes. Lucky for you, _most_ of the books are back here." She stuck a thumb out toward her backpack. "I wish they would've told us we were taking home so much. I would've brought an empty suitcase. I might need to ship some of this stuff back home to Mom so I don't have to deal with it on the plane, if that's okay."

"Makes sense. We can get you another suitcase if you need it, too," Luke offered. He put his free hand on the small of Lorelai's back as the two continued walking.

April hung back a little as she watched the couple proceed ahead of her. The sight of them finally together pleased her immensely. Her dad definitely looked happier, and it was nice to see him and Lorelai acting normal around each other. Luke shot a protective glance backward and paused so she could catch up. She rolled her eyes at him, getting the same eye roll back in response, and giggled. She'd really missed him. She couldn't understand how it was possible to go thirteen years _without_ a dad, not even two years _with_ one, and not be able to imagine life without him.

April spotted the green truck parked on the street and ran over to it, "Aw, good ol' Greenie. It's been awhile." She pulled her purse out of her backpack and flung the backpack into the bed of the truck before standing next to Lorelai in front of the passenger side door. She heard her dad grunt and mutter as he lifted her suitcase up. She grinned at Lorelai. "It's New York, what does he expect? A little duffle bag or something?"

Lorelai laughed, "I said the same thing to your dad yesterday." April looked at him, shaking her head, and saw a warm exchange between him and Lorelai. He didn't just look happier than he'd been the last time she'd seen him, he looked happier than she'd _ever_ seen him.

The three settled into the truck, April in the middle. Luke stopped at their hotel to pick up their bags, then headed out of the city. April stole a glance to her right, noticing Lorelai's bare left ring finger. She frowned. She thought her dad said things were back on track. Everything _seemed_ to be good. Figuring she'd have ample opportunity to sort this out, she put it in the back of her mind and began excitedly updating them on the last week of science camp.

* * *

"Staring out the window won't get her here any faster," Luke teased as he refilled Lorelai's coffee. She frowned up at him from their table in response.

"It should. She's taking too long."

Luke shook his head and turned to put the coffee pot back in its spot. Lorelai's eyes drifted around the diner as she attempted to distract herself. April was caught up explaining the brain's frontal lobe to Babette and Morey at their table. Lorelai still couldn't believe how much April had grown up even since the last time she'd seen her a few months prior. She was starting to remind her a lot of Rory at that age. Thinking of Rory again, she turned her head to resume staring out the window.

As she did, a black car pulled up, and Lorelai felt herself standing. She thought she heard Luke say something about her chair, but she was already running out the door. At the same time, Rory shot out of the backseat of the car like it was on fire, and both were suddenly hugging and yelling and giggling and jumping up and down in the street.

"You look so grown up!"

"Your hair is shorter!"

"You're pretty!"

"I got it from you!" Hearing a car door shut, Rory gasped, "Oh! John!" and pulled away for a moment as the driver unloaded Rory's bags from the trunk. "Just leave them by the curb for the moment. Thank you, SO much. Shoot, I still haven't gotten any cash out."

"That's okay, Rory, I told you, we're coworkers, you're not supposed to tip me," he said and winked.

"Oh, blah. Have a safe drive back, and apologize to your wife again for me for keeping you out so late to drive me all the way out here."

He laughed, "Really, it's my job, she's used to it. Have a good one, Rory. See you later!" He smiled at Lorelai before getting back into his car and driving off.

"You're fancy," Lorelai gestured to the departing car.

"I know!"

"I can't believe you're here."

" _I_ can't believe I'm here!"

Lorelai grabbed Rory again, holding her tight, seemingly with no intention of letting go.

"Mom... you're not... crying, are you?"

"No," Lorelai sniffed.

The diner door dinged open, and Luke stood smiling at the two women.

"Hi, Luke!" Rory grinned, detaching from her mother to give Luke a hug. Rory immediately closed her eyes and inhaled deeply as she stood in the doorway. "I _MISSED_ that smell!"

"Well, sit down and I'll get you a cup." Luke chuckled, motioning to the table Lorelai had been sitting at. Rory only had a chance to put her purse down before realizing who else was in the diner.

"Morey! Babette! April!" Rory squealed, running over to exchange more hugs and hellos.

Luke looked back outside to see Lorelai smiling, watching the scene through the window, her eyes shining. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she turned to him, beaming, "She's home."

"She is. And you're still out here."

Lorelai tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and walked back over to the door, her arms pressed tightly around her body as if they were the only things preventing her from exploding into a million pieces. Luke rubbed her arm before moving past her out the door, "Go. Squeal more. I'm just gonna..." he motioned to Rory's bags by the curb and walked over to put them into the back of his truck.

Rory animatedly retold the story of being dashed back to the east coast and finding out she'd been published on the New York Times website, fielding questions from her small group about the experience.

Before she could launch into another tale from the road, Lorelai put her hand out, "Hold up. Food." She looked at Rory and April expectantly, "Food? Yes?"

Luke watched both girls suddenly realize they were starving at the same time and grabbed his order pad, "Lay it on me." Three cheeseburgers, a mix of plain and curly fries for the Gilmore women, curly fries for April, and an order of chili fries for the table.

Eventually, Morey and Babette headed home for the evening, Babette wasting no time in sharing her excitement over the blending of the Gilmore-Danes-Nardini group, and how lovely it was to see them all together. Luke made a slight effort to express his gratitude, but found that he longed for the past few months when people ignored his personal life to the point of outright avoidance.

Shortly after their departure, he left the kitchen to find Lorelai and the girls back at their table, laughing over the latest Stars Hollow news as told by Lorelai. He placed salads in front of each of them, and Rory looked at him in horror.

"Oh my god. You weren't kidding. Luke!"

"Rory, you've had a soup or salad course at your grandparents' every Friday night for how many years now? I've spent the last few weeks watching your mother eat it there without much complaint. I assume you did the same. And April, don't give me that look, this isn't unusual for you, especially."

"Uh, I complain. And I usually pick my way around the weird stuff," Lorelai objected.

"And, guess what? No weird stuff in this to pick your way around. And Rory needs the nutrients before she heads back out on the road."

"Rory needs more ranch dressing if she's going to eat this," Rory said, pouting.

Luke rolled his eyes, but relented. After leaving the entire bottle of ranch on their table, he returned to the kitchen to start on their dinner. Cesar offered to take over so he could sit down, but it was important to him to make sure Rory got her Luke's burger made by its namesake, at least tonight. He was also enjoying the idea of feeding what was very quickly feeling like his and Lorelai's family.

He didn't want to dwell too much on how much he was enjoying them all being together - they had so little time. But the glimpses into the future that he and Lorelai had talked about were on his mind - he could see the four of them, and maybe a fifth or sixth - sitting around a dinner table as they reunited throughout the year.

"Hey, don't burn 'em, daydreamer!" Cesar elbowed Luke, drawing his focus back to the three ground beef patties and one turkey patty in front of him. He quickly flipped them and reached for the cheese as Cesar turned around to send one of his newer waiters to the table with the plate of chili fries. Cesar had been under strict instructions not to prepare it until the salad plates came back empty. He wasn't sure which of the girls had sent back the plate with a sad face made of leftover ranch dressing, but he suspected Lorelai.

A few minutes later, Luke joined the table along with the burgers, and all four dove in hungrily. He almost choked on his turkey burger as he started laughing at the dreamy expressions on April and Rory's faces. He knew his food was decent, but that was a little dramatic. As they ate, he and Lorelai carried most of the conversation, as the girls were deeply enamored with their long-awaited burgers and fries.

After everyone had finished, he noticed Rory looking exhausted and suggested they head home. Naturally, Lorelai made sure that the pie he'd told Cesar to set aside earlier was not forgotten. Lacking space in the truck for all four of them, it was decided that the quickly fading Rory would drive home with Luke in the truck, while the other two walked.

Much as she'd tried to hide it, he knew Lorelai had been nervous about how things would be with April. The two found their stride early on, however, and just as he'd expected, they immediately bonded on the ride home from New York over trying to convince Luke that a Snickers bar was a relatively nutritious snack. He'd won that argument after getting April to admit that the excessive sugar content overrode any amount of protein the peanuts might provide.

Luke shut Rory's door and walked around to the driver's side. As he settled in, Rory looked over at him, giving him a serious expression. He'd seen that look less than a handful of times, and it always caused his heart to stop in his chest for a few seconds in fear of what she was going to say. He took his hand off the keys, waiting to start up the truck, and gave her his full attention.

"She's happy," was all Rory said, looking at him with familiar big blue eyes that never failed to hit him right in the heart.

"I made a promise to you a few months ago," he reminded her, "That promise never expires, Rory." He had asked Lorelai to bring Rory by for one final Luke's breakfast before her big journey to the campaign trail. As they were getting ready to head to the car, Rory had stopped and sent her mother ahead, pausing to talk to Luke alone.

She'd thanked him for the party, then hesitated as she glanced briefly at her mom, then looked back at Luke, concern written all over her face. "She'll be okay. More than okay," he'd told her, "I promise I'll make sure of that." She'd nodded, giving him a tight hug before quickly moving to the jeep.

"I appreciate that," she smiled genuinely at him, "Being away is amazing, but it's hard. I miss my best friend. So often, I think of what Mom would say if she were there. I miss having the option of driving for thirty minutes to reach her if one of us was having a bad day. I worried a lot at first, since she was holding a lot back until you guys started really working things out. But now… I… well, thank you. I know it's early, but I'm glad she's not alone."

Luke paused before replying, considering her last sentence carefully. It wasn't early. It was late. As they had been learning over and over, being together now brought the long history of their friendship and relationship along with it. Not just the bad, but the good, too. "Early? Do you think we're rushing into this too fast?"

Rory shook her head, "No. Absolutely not. There are times it's hard to believe that you spent any time apart at all. But I just don't want to be presumptuous."

"She was always there. Even when we weren't together."

"You were too. We could all see it."

The two were quiet for a moment and Luke reached for the keys to start the engine. Rory's hand stopped him, "Hey. One last question." He looked at her expectantly. "May I ask what your intentions are toward my mother?"

She was smiling, but Luke could see in her eyes that the question wasn't entirely in jest, and he was suddenly nervous again.

"Uh… we… I… um…" he faltered. He already knew the answer, but communicating it - to Rory especially - made him nervous.

"I mean, I know you have the ring."

Luke sat back and stared at her, completely giving up on any attempt to form a reply. His jaw felt like it was sitting somewhere on the floorboards of the car.

"She doesn't know, she just knows it's missing." Rory continued, "But I know that _no one_ touched those boxes but me, and I know she didn't forget to put it in there. The only other person that's been with the boxes besides my mom and me... is you. So I have to assume you had a reason for grabbing it."

"Rory…" he hesitated again, deciding to stick to the story he told himself at the time, "I took the ring because I knew it would be weird for her to see it again and I didn't want her getting upset. I haven't decided yet… but, um,… we're still sorting through a lot. Your mom calls them ghosts-"

"Yeah, it's a regular old Halloween party back at the Crap Shack lately, I hear."

"Right. Well. We're doing good - with the ghosts and all - and I think we still need a little more time. This week is kind of a big deal to see how we handle stuff."

"Don't you think getting engaged again is going to come with its own ghosts anyway?"

"Oh, I'm sure of it. That's why I want to make sure we're ready to deal with that before we throw ourselves into it again. We're on the same page, and I want it to stay that way."

Rory nodded, "Okay, then. I know you're talking about it, which is good, surprise proposals seem to have a high failure rate among us." She paused. "I just needed to hear it from you."

Luke put his hand on her shoulder, "Rory. It'll happen when we're ready. And I think that will be sooner than later, but I don't have an exact timeframe yet. So to answer your question… I have very, very good intentions toward your mother. Of the permanent variety. And I refuse to let us get sidetracked this time."

"Well... good." Rory smiled and patted the hand on her shoulder, "Let's go home, then, before Mom and April beat us there."

Luke started the truck, marveling at how utterly odd it sounded to hear Rory referring to the same house he lived in as "home".

* * *

"I'm sorry Rory's not going to be very good company tonight," Lorelai apologized as she walked back downstairs with April after giving her a quick tour of the house. Rory, still trying to desperately catch up on sleep, had headed straight to bed while the rest of them stayed up a little longer to enjoy dessert. April had insisted Rory take the bed since she wouldn't be staying long, and had suffered through far worse sleeping situations than April had at camp.

"Oh, I'm tired, too. I was up early and it's been a pretty long day. I might stay up a little later and read, though. I have a little book lamp I brought with me to camp so I won't wake up Rory."

"She sleeps like the dead once she's out, so don't even worry about that," Lorelai smiled.

"Night Lorelai, night Dad." April waved to the man hovering a little awkwardly near the couch.

"Night, kiddo," he smiled.

April entered Rory's room and shut the door behind her. Paul Anka whined at her departure.

"What, you like her better? Traitor." Lorelai joked before turning to look at Luke, "Uh, you okay there?" Lorelai had seen him and Rory talking as she and April walked toward the house, and wasn't sure if his current state was due to whatever they'd discussed, or the newness of their daughters being at the house.

"Yep," he answered, apparently not inclined to share what was going through his mind.

"Well, okay. Good. I'm heading up. That last bit of pie put me in a food coma. See you in a bit?"

Luke nodded. He was still hovering uncomfortably; Lorelai decided to give him some time to sort out whatever he was thinking, and ascended the stairs to their bedroom.

She was just getting comfortable in bed when Luke finally walked in. She laid there watching him get ready, baffled at how slowly he was moving. When he ran out of things to do, he paused near the foot of the bed. Lorelai looked up at him, waiting for him to either crawl in bed or talk.

"Hey, uh. Isn't this a little weird?" Luke asked.

"This… going to bed? No. I'm tired. And I have to be at the inn in time for early checkouts and event prep, so-"

"No, I mean, they're down there and they know we're up here."

Lorelai sighed a little, "Luke. Both girls know we both live here. They kinda get that means we share a bed. I promise not to touch you, if it makes you feel any better."

"No, that's not… I... " he stopped and ran a hand through his hair.

"No one down there is thinking about what _isn't_ happening in here right now, either," she sighed again, watching Luke still standing there awkwardly, making no move in any direction. "Look, if you're waiting for my permission to sleep on the couch, you have it."

"I don't want to sleep on the couch."

"You want _me_ to sleep on the couch?"

"No." Luke moved closer to his side of the bed, but still made no effort toward crawling in. "What if they come up here?"

"Then they'll probably knock. Or they'll see you. Lying dead right there. Because I didn't get enough sleep. Because I was up all night telling my boyfriend that he's allowed to sleep in his bed. And then they'll interview April and she'll tell them all about how lack of sleep keeps your frontal lobe from working properly or something, and no one will be able to blame me. And then Rory-"

"I get it. You think I'm being ridiculous."

"Oh, no, not at all."

"Lorelai..."

"You realize that we've shared a bed in the same house as Rory before. And that she's even managed to sleep here with her own boyfriend without any issues."

"She what?! Which boyfriend?!"

"And the other one has mentioned, multiple times today, and barely twenty minutes ago, that she's glad we're together. No one thinks you go back to the diner to go to sleep at night." She paused, smirking over an old memory, "You know, the first time Max stayed here, I slept in Rory's room. So, to an extent, I get it."

"But this is different. We're nothing like you and Max. And I've slept here a million times before." Luke finally stopped long enough to think; Lorelai waited, letting his mind catch up to his words. "I _am_ being ridiculous. But, maybe, just, at least…" he walked over and locked the bedroom door before finally crawling in bed.

"Oh my god. He made it in. Ladies and gentlemen, a round of applause."

"Stop."

"G'night, roommate." She kissed him and rolled over, letting her thoughts drift. Remembering that she'd still wanted to talk to him before he'd gone awkward on her, she rolled back over, "What were you and Rory talking about so intensely on the way over here?"

Luke chuckled, "She asked what my intentions toward her mother were."

Lorelai was a little stunned, "No way. I told her a million times-"

"Yeah, but… she hasn't heard it from me. She's just looking out for you." Luke yawned as Lorelai flashed back to the time Rory warned Christopher to stay away. The kid could be extremely overprotective at times. Luke continued, in a hushed voice, "She's scary, though, when she's that serious. Like, Emily Gilmore scary."

"Guess we better watch ourselves then," Lorelai rolled back over and wondered whether or not to ask Rory about it. She felt Luke snuggle up behind her, relaxing his arm over her waist.

"Stop thinking about it," he whispered.

"This from the man who, not five minutes ago, was afraid to get in the same bed as me? Telling _me_ not to overthink something?"

"Shhh. I'm tired. I have to get up and make breakfast before you leave for the Inn. And if I don't get enough sleep, you know, I can't be held responsible for my frontal lobe..."

Lorelai snorted. Too tired to fire back with a witty response, she listened to Paul Anka's soft snoring as she nodded off to sleep, herself.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: Hopefully this chapter paid off after all the setup in the last two chapters! I'm trying to find a balance between not overloading you with too many chapters at once, while also posting certain story arcs closer together so I don't leave ya hangin'. I'll try to sort out some semblance of a regular posting schedule now that we're starting to get into the thick of things. ;) (if any other fic authors have advice on posting frequency, please drop me a line and share your wisdom!). Thanks for reading, and for the flow of feedback! *mwah!*_


	12. Caffeinated

**Chapter 12: Caffeinated**

Rory felt consciousness tugging her away from sleep for the third time that morning. She grumbled and eyed the clock. 6:42am. Far too early to be awake on a day off, especially a Saturday. She'd gotten in another whopping ten minutes of sleep since the last time she'd looked at the clock. Deciding it was time to give in and wake up, Rory stretched and sat up. She looked over at April, realizing she'd crashed before April had even gone to bed. She felt a little guilty for not showing her new roommate around the room to make her feel more at home, but she barely remembered changing into pajamas, let alone falling into bed.

Rory yawned, and with the deep intake of oxygen, her brain registered the smell of coffee. Rolling out of bed, she reached for her old robe, and carefully opened the door to find Luke whisking a bowl of pancake batter. He turned to see who had come through the door and gestured toward the coffee pot, "Good morning. Your mom's already been through two cups, so you have a bit of catching up to do."

She smiled sleepily at him, and reached for a mug, "It's not even seven. Why is she even awake?"

"She has a big group checking out early, a breakfast for some Stars Hollow... flower... club or something to help set up for, and a few other things to take care of."

Rory nodded and slid into a kitchen chair, watching him move comfortably around the kitchen. It wasn't the first time she'd been in the same house when Luke spent the night, but he'd always been at the diner by the time she got up. She wondered if breakfast was part of her mom and Luke's new routine.

She heard the clicking of heels headed toward her and immediately stood up to guard the coffee pot. "No. Not until I've caught up," Rory said sternly.

"Uh, no. You don't help pay for the coffee anymore," Lorelai argued, "This is my coffee. And my mug is empty. Scoot." She put her empty mug on the counter and poked Rory in the stomach.

"Technically, you don't either, since you've been begging for coffee from the diner, I've been ordering extra to keep at the house," Luke interjected.

"I still maintain, the coffee is in my house, thus all rights to said coffee are retained by the owner... thereof."

Rory rolled her eyes and refused to budge. After taking two long gulps from her mug, she quickly turned around with a "Hah!", refilled it, and shuffled back over to her spot at the table. Lorelai shot her a glare before refilling her own mug, and looked over to see Luke turning on the stove. She touched his arm, smiled sweetly at him, and pulled a bag of chocolate chips out of the pantry.

"No."

"Do I need to give you the same speech?"

"Uh, _I_ bought those for cookies for that stupid bake sale you signed me up for. You want something in your pancakes, go grab the blueberries from the fridge."

She pouted at him and, instead of grabbing the blueberries, joined Rory at the table. "So, what's your plan for the day?" she asked Rory, frowning briefly upon hearing the cupboard door shut as Luke put the chocolate chips back where they came from.

"April wanted to go through her reading lists, so I thought we'd bum around the house for awhile and go through my books. I figured I could use the time to box up some of the books and stuff that don't need to be in my room and throw it in the garage so April doesn't feel like she's a guest in there. She'll probably be sleeping there more than I will."

Rory knew no one would ask her to do such a thing, nor would they even expect it, but she caught Luke's expression and knew she'd touched him by mentioning it. She also noticed a brief look of concern cross her mother's face and knew she was, again, remembering GG's temporary residence. Rory shot her mother a reassuring look and shook her head slowly, suggesting such concerns were not necessary.

"Did I hear my name?" asked a bleary-eyed April from the doorway to the bedroom.

"Yep. I was letting the parental figures in on our plans for the day." Rory smiled.

April nodded and yawned, "Do I smell coffee?"

Rory looked around and began laughing at the reactions to April's question. Lorelai's face lit up like it was Christmas morning. Luke, on the other hand, looked like someone had spit in his pancake batter.

"Since when do you drink coffee?!" Luke demanded.

"I basically lived off it the last seven weeks. You can't stay up late hanging out with your friends and make it to a seven a.m. lecture on biodiversity without caffeine. I do need cream and sugar, though. Can't drink it black… yet. But it's good to have goals."

Rory shook her head, "I don't know how you managed. I avoided early morning science and math classes as much as possible. Even with the caffeine, that's too early to bend your brain in that direction."

April shrugged, filling a mug with coffee and adding sugar as Luke blankly passed her a carton of milk from the refrigerator, "The coffee helps. I think my brain's already bent in that direction, though."

"Cheer up, Luke. Just think of how much the coffee sales will go up at the diner when April's in town," Lorelai grinned.

"Why is it you never remember that _no one_ in this house pays for anything at the diner?" He turned and flipped his pancakes. "April, please tell me you limit yourself to morning coffee, at least. You do not want to turn into these two, living your life looking for your next hit of coffee."

"Hey, I resemble that!" Rory scoffed, teasingly.

April laughed and shook her head, " _Mostly_ just morning coffee... don't worry, Dad, this is a normal part of growing up. And anyway, I've been drinking Frappuccinos at Starbucks for at least three years. Those have more sugar than coffee, but it's definitely a gateway drug."

Luke muttered something about never needing coffee as a kid and turning out just fine as he turned back to the stove.

Pancakes and bacon served, Luke joined the girls at the table to eat. Much to the groans of everyone, he pointed out that green tea also contains caffeine. Rory told the story of the time she was broke and out of both coffee and money at Yale; desperation had driven her to stealing some green tea from Paris, which didn't end up doing much aside from drawing the terrible wrath of its owner.

"Green tea is just not the same thing," Lorelai explained. She very rarely questioned her love for Luke, but every now and then, she wondered how she'd come to love a man who was not only early to bed and early to rise, but also managed to continue this trend without coffee.

Breakfast was enjoyed by all, and once she was finished, Lorelai headed to the Dragonfly Inn. After handling the groups checking out early and making sure their transportation was taken care of, she went on to attempt several things she'd hired extra staff to take care of over the summer, most of which were already done. Michel began objecting to her over-involvement.

"Okay, Michel, but the Stars Hollow Gardening and Foliage Society brunch is in twenty minutes, and-"

"For which you hired Gabby. And Gabby has been done with setup for _an hour_. It is done. There is nothing else to do except nitpick."

Lorelai frowned. The word 'nitpick' was an Emily Gilmore word, and not one with which she wanted to become in any way associated. Still, it couldn't hurt to take a peek. She walked into the dining room to find it decorated in the pinks, yellows, and greens they'd planned on, with a few beautifully added flourishes she hadn't thought of. It was Gabby's first event as Lorelai's assistant event planner, and she'd more than outdone herself. Unable to find anything else to do, Lorelai retreated to her office, and began working on some of the paperwork she'd been hoping to avoid.

Much later, Lorelai filed the last manila folder, staring in surprise at her empty desk. She couldn't remember the last time she'd actually cleared through every last bit of paperwork to see the wooden sheen of her desk's surface. She suddenly realized her body was sore from staying in the same position too long, and stole a glance at the clock on the wall, shocked to see it was well past noon. Checking her phone, she found a missed call from Luke.

As she walked toward the front of the inn, she stole a glance toward the kitchen. She couldn't wait until Sookie was back from maternity leave. Her absence put a huge crimp in Lorelai's usual routine, and she missed the random bits of chatter she and her friend usually enjoyed throughout the day. She called Luke back, and the two decided to meet back at the house for lunch. He'd expected April and Rory to have lunch at the diner, but he hadn't seen or heard from them all day.

Lorelai hopped in her jeep and drove home, the thought of Rory's presence encouraging her to put a little extra pressure on the gas pedal to speed up the journey.

* * *

"Rory, you really don't need to move so much stuff out of here," April said as she anxiously watched Rory tape up a box and slide it into the kitchen.

"It's really no big deal, I promise. I moved way more stuff around for my little half-sister when she lived here and I kinda had a feeling that wasn't even going to last." Rory returned to her room and looked through a few books.

April turned a page in the photo album she'd been looking through; photos of birthdays Rory had celebrated throughout the years decorated each page. She paused at one photo, spying Luke and Lorelai in the background. Rory was still in high school, but there was no denying the attraction between the two adults.

April sighed, "Do you think it's going to stick this time? Your mom and my dad?"

Rory put down the book she'd been mulling over packing. "I do. I know my mom wouldn't-" she paused, unsure how much April knew of what had happened before. "Things were really bad for awhile there. I know my mom wouldn't be with your dad right now if she wasn't sure. And things are so different this time."

April frowned. She knew things were all wrong before. So many of her dad's stories had been about Lorelai and Rory, unless he was ranting about Kirk, yet he had been so weird about them meeting. At first, she thought Lorelai didn't want to meet her, which she could somewhat understand. She could imagine how weird it must be when your significant other turns out to have a child he never knew about. But the more she overheard from the town, and the more she observed the situation, she'd soon realized it wasn't Lorelai's doing at all, which she couldn't make any sense of.

When her mother told her the two had split up, she'd made sure to point out to April that this was exactly why she didn't want her involved with Lorelai. They'd argued then, and while it hadn't been the worst argument they'd had that year, April knew she'd said some things that had hurt her mom.

Nothing between April and her mother had been the same since her science fair project. She still held Anna largely responsible for her dad and Lorelai's breakup, and she was still extremely bitter she was only just now getting to know her father.

She glanced up at Rory, who looked concerned. "April, are you okay with this?"

April nodded, "Yeah. This is what I thought things would be more like before, but it never progressed past my dad and I hanging out together. That's weird, isn't it? I mean, your mom never hid _you_ from him."

"Very different, though." Rory picked the book back up and put it back in the shelf, "I mean, I've known Luke for most of my life... " her eyes widened, "Oh god, I'm so sorry, April, I didn't mean-"

April waved her hand dismissively, "No, it's fine. I was jealous of you for awhile in the beginning, especially since my dad would respond to so many of my stories with 'I remember when Rory was your age...' but then I realized it was a good thing. Gave him something to relate to, and sometimes I think he used his memories of you to imagine how things might have been with us."

April continued looking through the photo album, smiling at all the goofy moments between Rory and Lorelai. They reminded her so much of the photos she had at home with her own mom. She decided she should pull out some of the old albums when she got home, and relive the days before things had gotten so weird between them - maybe it would help.

She asked Rory about her and Lorelai's relationship - if they'd ever experienced any rough patches. Rory told her about the various ups and downs they'd gone through. April had read about Rory stealing a yacht after searching the internet for her name, but online articles didn't tell the whole story, and Rory's version was much more interesting. It seemed so odd that the polished woman standing in front of her would make such a crazy, impulsive decision based on something so silly. Rory pointed out that this was why she couldn't blame their parents for the mistakes they made - sometimes people just really screwed things up. April nodded sadly.

It was always a relief to April when she could correlate emotions and scientific theory. But she'd been learning, the older she got, that not everything could be explained with science. Sometimes emotions got the best of a person, and no amount of logic could fix how they felt.

She knew, logically, she shouldn't have been so hard on her mom. But so many of her mother's decisions had hurt, and there was so much emotion April had pushed aside over the years in favor of facts and logic - instinctively, she preferred things that were a lot more straightforward, things you could back up with facts and formulas. All that emotion had rushed to the surface once she'd decided to find her dad.

She decided not to dwell on it anymore for the time being, and shut the photo album, standing to look around Rory's room a little more.

As she took a closer look at the bulletin board, seeing the Yale pro/con list among the various bits of memorabilia, conversation shifted to college. She was so undecided, but after Rory explained her own tale of deciding on schools, intending to go to Harvard her whole life, and ending up at Yale, April felt a little better. Rory promised that when she was at the point of making a decision, they'd use the old pro/con list method over burgers at Luke's, which April excitedly agreed to hold her to.

When Rory felt at least half the room had been moved into boxes, giving April room for clothes, books, and even some spots to add her own decoration to the walls, the girls began moving things into the garage. The two exchanged ridiculous stories from their childhoods, an endless stream of laughter between them. They eventually sat on the sofa on the porch, Paul Anka lounging lazily between them, as Rory began telling stories about the ways in which Jess would taunt Luke. April was bent over with laughter for most of them, imagining her cousin terrorizing her father.

It was in the middle of one such moment that Luke pulled the truck into the driveway. They barely paused to wave at him before continuing their conversation. Luke slowly made his way out of the truck, watching them. He took his time with the takeout bags he'd brought for lunch, enjoying the scene before him. He knew it would not be a common sight, and he was, once again, struck with the thought that this could have been a regular occurrence over the past year.

He heard the rumble of Lorelai's jeep behind him, and turned around to watch her hop out. As she approached him, she cocked her head at his expression, unable to determine what thoughts were going through his mind at that moment.

Luke greeted her with a kiss, but held her still before she headed toward the house. "What?" Lorelai asked. Then, seeing the takeout bags in his hand, pointed at them, "Food. Hungry. Move."

"Hold on a minute. Enjoy the view a sec," he nodded behind him, toward the house.

Lorelai moved to look past him and smiled as she saw the three "kids" on the porch together and smiled. "That's sweet," she gazed back at him, "So why do you look… sad?"

"Should've been what we've been coming home to on weekends for the last year."

"Except Rory would probably have been at Yale, April would've been with you at the diner or hanging out with friends, and Paul Anka would've been moving shoes around inside the house." Luke's expression didn't change, and she moved to rub his arm, "I have no right to lecture you on regrets. But nothing about this weekend is normal even _if_ we'd been together for the past year. So just embrace it for what it is. Now come on, let's go eat lunch. I'm starving."

The two walked up to the house, and both Rory and April cheered over the surprise lunch, not realizing how much time had passed. Deciding to enjoy the day's weather, they spread out the sandwiches Luke had brought on the patio table, and began sharing their mornings. Lorelai hinted at a shopping trip so April would have some new items to add to the bedroom, all chuckling as Luke groaned at the idea.

Babette paused just out of sight of her neighbor's house, and watched the not-quite-family enjoying their afternoon together. She wanted to run to the house and grab her camera to capture the moment, but knew that would be far too conspicuous. Instead, she headed directly toward the house, calling out a greeting. They all turned to smile in response.

"Look at all of ya! Such a nice little family you four make! Got the dog, too! Almost like that phrase... what is it? A house, a dog, and two point five kids? Well, all but the point five. You should work on that. Anyway, I gotta go! Morey 'n' me are gonna grab a sundae with Patty and watch Kirk's yoga class. See ya!"

And with that, Babette went home to retrieve her husband, eager to share the exchange with Patty, especially the smile Luke had been late to hide behind his typical scowl.

* * *

Lane shut the bedroom door behind her, a relieved smile brightening her face, "Diaper duty. Kwan. And I got to him before he could wake Steve, which is high on my list of accomplishments this weekend. What were you saying?"

"Just how amazing you are, doing all of this by yourself." Rory shook her head in amazement. The thought of managing one baby alone day after day seemed insane, she couldn't imagine two.

"Oh, I'm rarely alone. Everyone's been amazing. My mom, Brian, your mom and Luke, Babette, Kyon, Lulu, Gil and his family… if I need help, or if I need a break to just eat cake at Weston's alone with some music, someone's always willing to jump in. It's been incredible. I miss Zack, but I made the right choice in staying, especially since the tour's being extended. You should see Kirk freak out every time Lulu's over to help out. Who knew babies would be the thing that creeped him out the most?"

"Well, let's all just be grateful for that one," Rory rolled her eyes, "I can just see Kirk flipping out because his kid got the toy he wanted. May he never procreate. Do you get to talk to Zack much?" Rory finished drying the rest of the dishes they'd used to make dinner, and handed a pan to Lane to put away.

"Oh yeah. My mom bought us webcams, and Zack got us a cable modem before he left. Turns out our fancy editing rig over there works very nicely with Skype, so we get to video chat pretty often, as long as Zack can get online. I'm glad he gets to see the boys in some way, they're growing so fast. But I'll be honest, my favorite times are when we can just sit and talk when the boys are in bed." Lane poked her friend in the arm. "Still weird for _me_ to be the one talking about a guy. Anything fun happening on the tour bus?"

"Oh, there's plenty of _fun_ happening. Seems to be the preferred way to cope with the stress of deadlines and writers' block. But… ugh. It's not for me. It's just not the kind of connections I want to be making, you know?"

Lane laughed, crossing her arms and leaning against the counter, "Did you forget who you're talking to? No sex before marriage? Of course I get that. You still miss Logan, though, don't you."

Rory nodded slightly, "In some ways, yeah. In other ways… no. I've gained a little perspective. I miss his presence, though. His sense of humor. No guy ever made me laugh so hard."

"That reminds me, have you heard about Dean?"

"No… what about Dean?" Rory asked, her brows furrowing. She wished things had ended differently between them. Or that they never would've started to turn their affair into a relationship at all, and just let it be what it was.

"I guess Tom's been mentoring him a lot over the last year or so, and he's working toward his contractors license. He makes enough money working for Tom now that he finally has his own apartment."

"That's good. Does he seem happy?"

"That's the thing. Brian said he'd run into him doing work on a house he was selling, and Dean was pointing out the changes the owners were making, and you know, talking shop, and he seemed really happy. But then, I've seen him around town and he's… well… let's just say Luke's status as town grump has been usurped."

"Did he and Lindsay ever... "

"No. Actually, she's engaged. I saw her and her mother showing the ring off to Miss Patty awhile back, and it's pretty impressive. She's moving to Greenwich after the wedding in the spring. She's really enjoying bragging about how her new husband can afford not just his own house, but a vacation house as well. Like a kid who married his girlfriend right out of high school would've been able to provide something like that. Dean tries really hard to ignore it, I think, but he always looks angry at the world when I see him."

Rory frowned. She wanted Dean to have a good life. She knew he'd been happy about the work he'd been doing for Tom when they were still dating; she was glad to hear he'd found something to enjoy enough to pursue professionally, but he didn't sound happy with his life at all.

"I wonder if my mom knows anything. He hasn't really come up in our conversations, though, and I feel like she'd tell me if she knew something."

"Yeah, he seems to avoid your mom, so she probably hasn't seen much of him. It's weird because I always thought he was pretty fond of her. I remember he still talked to Lorelai even after you dumped him for Jess."

"Hey! I didn't! He dumped me!"

"Yeah, but little teenage Rory was totally crushing on Jess already."

Rory nodded guiltily. She hadn't revisited her old teenage relationships in a long time. The Dean she'd been with just before Logan was not the same Dean she'd known in high school. There was no doubt they still cared for each other, but they'd both changed too much by then.

"At least Jess is doing great. Who knew, that of all my ex-boyfriends, he'd figure his life out first?" Rory observed aloud.

"Do you talk to him?"

"Not really. I'm on his company's mailing list, so I get updates from that, and Mom passes along little bits of news she gets from Luke. Easier than having to talk to him. I kind of... used him... the last time I saw him in person." Rory explained how after she'd found out Logan had slept with several of his sister's friends, she'd gone to the open house Jess had thrown for his company in Philadelphia, attempting to use him to cheat on Logan. She still felt incredibly guilty about kissing him. "I owe him a huge apology for that. Especially since he really, _really_ hated Logan. And what I was trying to do wasn't going to level the playing field any, and would've just made all three of us miserable."

"Yeah. Do you think… you and Jess…?" Lane asked.

Rory shook her head, "No… there's a lot of history there and I'll always care about him, but… it's not the same. Which is good, I mean, it looks like we'll be cousins at some point. That's gross."

"Oh my god, I never thought of that," Lane cackled as she motioned for Rory to join her on the futon. "Man, it's nice having you in town. You sure you don't want to forego this new fancy online gig, and just submit articles for a few bucks a pop to the Stars Hollow Gazette?"

"Not after the raise and the bonus I just got," Rory grinned, "That reminds me. Before I leave, I wanna take you out for a nice meal. Maybe tomorrow night? Mom said she, April, and Luke would watch the boys so we can have a girl's night out. And I really want to see Luke hold a baby, I have a hard time imagining it."

Lane laughed and wagged her finger at her friend, "Hey, don't insult my sons' godfather! He's amazing with them. If I go in there for lunch, and he's got enough people working, he'll usually hold whichever one is the fussiest for me so I can finish my meal. I've seen him watch Doula a few times so Liz can go run errands, too. And your mom has a really cute photo of him with little Theodore Belleville. Your future little siblings have nothing to worry about."

Before Rory could react to that last sentence, there was a soft knock at the door. Lane opened it to find April standing there with a bag from Luke's.

April held her free hand up, "I'm not here to crash the party, I'm just here to make a delivery! Dad wanted to send pie over, and I agreed to drop it off. If I saw him wipe that counter one more time, I think I might have screamed."

"Oh, shush! Come in! I haven't seen you in... forever!" Lane exclaimed and hugged April. Rory had forgotten that Lane and April had spent a lot of time together between babysitting and working at the diner. She knew her mom and Luke were long past it, but it still was absurd to consider that Luke was fine with Lane interacting with April so regularly, but not her mother, despite the fact that Lorelai had been a second mother to Lane.

Rory mused over the odd way things worked out. She was at her friend's house, who she'd known since she was five, watching her interact with her twin sons. Rory's future stepsister, who Lane had babysat, had arrived, and they'd just been about to talk about the local diner owner possibly having a kid with her mother someday. Growing up in Stars Hollow, she never could have guessed that this was where things would lead. She was pretty sure, though, that her childhood self would be incredibly pleased, especially with her own life. Traveling, covering press for what could be the country's next president-

"Come on, Lane! Rory! Be the deciding vote!" April urged.

"Sorry, I spaced. What about?" Rory asked.

Lane sighed, "Don't bother. I'm not playing Scrabble. If we play a game, it's Sorry. It's mostly chance, and the playing field is level. Scrabble is not an option with Dictionary Gilmore and Encyclopedia Nardini."

"Agreed. No words. Sorry, April. I need a break from thinking up words for a few days. Sometimes my job feels like an endless game of Scrabble. But with sentences, too." Rory stood up and walked over to look through Lane's games. She always wondered what it would be like to have a little sister tagging along with her and her friends. April wasn't really tagging along, though, and Rory hardly found it annoying. After spending the morning and afternoon with April, she'd come to genuinely enjoy her company, and was more than happy to include her in her evening with Lane.

"Operation gives April an unfair advantage, Scrabble is out, we don't have time for Monopoly… Sorry, it is!" Rory grabbed the game from the shelf and placed it on the floor in front of the futon before taking the pie from April into the kitchen. She quickly sliced and plated three very generous portions, rejoining the other two with forks in hand.

Rory sat down on the floor, and she and April both reached for the blue pieces, staring each other down. Lane rolled her eyes and fished a coin out of her pocket. "Heads or tails?"

* * *

"No," Luke called out as the bells on the door chimed.

"Excuse me?" Lorelai asked, sliding into her usual seat at the counter.

"No," Luke called again from the kitchen.

"Um. Hon? It's me."

"Yep. And the answer is no," he walked into the diner and pointed his finger at her, "If you want coffee, you can have it at home."

"But there's coffee behind you."

"Which I'm about to throw out. It's been sitting there, untouched, for quite awhile, and it's stale. Which way was the sign on the door facing?"

"Closed."

"Exactly. The diner is closed. If you want coffee that badly, I'll make you some at home in a bit."

Lorelai frowned, "I want _that_ coffee."

"No. If I give you _that_ coffee, you're going to make a face and say, 'it's old.' You won't let it go until I make a new pot. Which I will be happy to do. At home."

As he reached for the pot, Lorelai gasped, "Don't you dare throw that out. There are starving and uncaffeinated children in Africa." Luke snorted in response and she bit back her own laugh. "Stop laughing, Luke, this is a serious issue. I want that coffee."

Luke threw his hands in the air, grabbed one of her usual mugs, and poured the rest of the pot into it. He slid it in front of her and leaned against the back counter expectantly, folding his arms in front of him. She shot him a look and took a sip.

"It's uh... perfect," she said as her face twisted into a look of disgust.

"I told you."

Lorelai pushed the mug back toward him, pouting, "It's stale, you're right. Can I please have a fresh pot?"

"Yes. At. _Home_ ," he replied, taking the mug and coffee pot into the kitchen.

She sighed and, noticing a few donuts left in the case, walked around the counter to retrieve one. As she finished it off, she listened to Luke washing the last of the dishes and loading up the dishwasher. She leaned against the back counter where Luke had just been, and looked around the quiet diner. "Hey, Luke, where's April?"

"She was bored, so I sent her to drop a pie off at Lane's. Rory texted me awhile ago to let me know she was spending the rest of the evening with the two of them."

"Huh. They've spent practically the whole day together. That's good, right?"

"It is." Luke walked out of the kitchen, drying his hands. He threw the towel on the counter and reached for Lorelai, pulling her in for a kiss. "Into the donuts?"

"Nah, I'm just that sweet," she grinned and returned her lips to his for a slower kiss, and a few more deeper kisses. Just before things escalated from kissing to making out, the diner door opened, sending the two flying apart as if they were teenagers caught by their parents.

It took Rory a moment to register the scene in front of her, as she'd been busy teasing April for getting too cocky in their third round of Sorry and winding up in last place.

"Well, geez, we can't leave you two alone for a minute," Rory jested.

"Man, I thought we managed to ditch the chaperones," Lorelai teased back, patting Luke's shoulder as he retreated to the kitchen with the towel he'd left on the counter.

"His cheeks were red," Rory pointed out.

"I'm not really one to believe in karma," April grinned, "But in this case... seeing a form of karmic retribution after your dad's been teasing you incessantly about your first middle school crush the last two days is pretty sweet."

"You think that's bad, he chased my first boyfriend out of the diner after I broke up with him. And then, years later got into a fight with him over a Bop It."

"Over a Bop It?!" April was cracking up, imagining it.

"Aww, now he's never gonna come out," Lorelai chuckled, "Be nice, remember, he controls the coffee." She turned to retrieve her boyfriend from the kitchen.

"Sorry, Dad!" April called out.

"Sorry, Luke! That was really unfair, especially after your nice gesture with the pie. Please come out. We all need some coffee and there isn't any left out here."

Luke returned, mild annoyance having quickly replaced his previous mortification, "The last thing any of you women need is coffee. I'll make some at home. Let's go." He turned off the lights and took a few long, deliberate strides toward the door, holding it open and gesturing with his other hand for the three women to exit.

The group walked toward the house, and Luke was relieved to find both Patty's dance studio shut down for the night, and Babette's house dark. The two had not let up with the picture-perfect family comments all day. It was endearing at first, but quickly began feeling intrusive as Babette kept going back to a _perfect_ family including two _point five_ kids. He didn't want to talk about any decimal of a child with anyone but Lorelai, and he was content with their agreement on the matter. He let the annoyance roll off of him as he began listening to April talk about her various Sorry strategies, while Rory argued that even the best strategies were not immune to chance, which was the entire lesson of the game.

After arriving home, Luke started the coffee, making just enough for Lorelai and Rory to each have one cup. April objected, stating she was being unjustly discriminated against based on age. He shook his head and joined Lorelai on the couch.

April shot him an evil look and turned to Rory, "Now what's this about the Bop It?"


	13. The Offspring

**Chapter 13: The Offspring**

Lorelai had meant well when she decided the Gilmore-Nardini-Danes group should have a quiet lunch at the Dragonfly. But as it happened, Sookie had also decided that Sunday would be a nice day for the Belleville family to stop by, which, as anyone could have guessed, turned into Sookie ordering one of her classic appetizers, only to find a few minor adjustments had been made to the recipe. That had quickly escalated to a shouting match in the kitchen, with Lorelai running in to try and calm everyone down.

In the meantime, Davey had become attached to Rory's side, asking endless questions about her travels, especially about the bus. Martha was acting shy, hiding behind Jackson and making faces over his shoulder at her baby brother. April asked Jackson about his farm, and he was immediately giddy over the rare ability to discuss plant genetics with someone who understood them. Luke chimed in occasionally, but stuck to quietly observing, amused by the endless series of sideshows.

"Daddy, I _really_ haffa _go,_ " Martha tugged at Jackson's arm.

"Sweetie, you know where the bathroom is," Jackson motioned toward the restroom. Martha broke into a crying fit, not at all pleased at the idea of going alone. April offered to take her instead, which caused further crying in between bounces and tugs at her father's arm.

"DADDY, PLEASE!" Martha began to screech, resulting in glares from other diners. Jackson cringed and stood, offering Theodore to Luke, "Luke, would you mind hanging onto this one for a minute?"

It was hardly an odd thing for Jackson to ask; Luke had held Theodore several times over the last few weeks, yet he was suddenly very aware of two pairs of eyes on him as he took the sleeping infant. He looked up, and found that April was half out of her seat, seemingly terrified he was going to drop the baby, while Rory - who he knew had overheard many a rant about babies over the years - simply looked amused. He glared at both of them.

"You both realize this is not the first time I've held a baby. I babysat Jess when he was born. I've successfully watched Doula multiple times. I hold, and sometimes even feed, Kwan and Steve. I held Theodore the day he was born, and several times since. I've even been Martha's preferred seat during dinner."

"He still won't let _me_ sit on his lap during dinner, though," he heard Lorelai's voice behind him. She crouched down next to Luke, and offered Theodore her finger. She and Luke both smiled at the baby's contented sigh as he grasped her finger in his sleep.

Rory glanced over at April and wondered if she was thinking the same thing. That they could very well be getting a glimpse into the future. She wondered if this crazy baby boom that Stars Hollow seemed to have experienced over the past year, in addition to the endless comments from Patty and Babette, had been setting off all sorts of alarms on her mother's biological clock. It wasn't something they'd ever discussed in depth, but seeing her mother with Luke and Theo made her curious.

April, however, felt the cold hand of betrayal squeezing her heart once again. It could've been - and should've been - her being held like that by her father. She wondered if Rory had ever felt jealous of her sister, GG. Rory had at least known who her dad was, even if he hadn't been around a lot. She'd seen enough recent photos of the three of them in Rory's room that she knew Rory didn't hate him for being a better father to her sister than he'd been to her. She couldn't help but feel a little jealous over the idea that, if Luke and Lorelai had any kids, they'd know both of their parents, and grow up with them in the same house.

Davey sighed loudly, growing bored with so much attention directed toward his brother, "He farts a lot."

"And so do you, little man," a much calmer Sookie re-entered the room. "Hey, I lost two?" She motioned to Martha and Jackson's empty chairs.

"Restroom," Luke answered, "You want this one back?"

Sookie giggled, "Oh, I don't know, you look pretty happy, you can keep him for awhile longer." She winked at Rory before turning to Lorelai, making no effort to hide what was on her mind.

"Are you planning to go back in there and apologize to Manny?" Lorelai asked, deflecting Sookie's attention from the man with the baby, as she wiggled her finger free from Theodore's grasp and stood, placing her hands on her hips.

"I already did. My reaction was bad, but I still stand by my right to not have my recipes changed," she shot an accusatory look at Luke who, wisely, kept his focus on the now squirming infant in his arms in order to avoid an unending argument over béchamel sauce. Theodore began to fuss a little, and Luke changed the baby's position, which usually worked, but in this case, Theodore was having none of it.

"He's probably hungry," Sookie sighed, noticing the familiar rooting motions her son was making. "Again. And I didn't bring any bottles. Lorelai do you mind if I use your office for a bit to nurse him?"

Lorelai motioned in the direction of her office in response, and returned to eating the lunch she'd barely had a chance to touch as Jackson and Martha reappeared.

"Lorelai, can we please go look at the horses?" Davey asked politely as he gazed out the window to see Cletus and Desdemona's handler lead them across the Dragonfly property.

Before Lorelai could answer, Jackson held out the hand that Martha wasn't clinging to. "Let's let Auntie Lorelai finish more than one bite of food."

Lorelai smiled gratefully. She wouldn't have minded, but another early breakfast that morning meant she was starving by noon.

April perked up, "Dad, do you mind if I go? They were out with guests when Lorelai gave us the tour earlier, and I'd love to see them."

Luke shrugged, "Just make sure you wash your hands when you get back."

April gleefully followed Jackson and the kids out, and Davey quickly began to explain the rules, telling April she needed to pet them _gently_ and stay where they could see her.

Lorelai chuckled, "He hears that every time, I'm not surprised he has the speech memorized." She glanced at Luke and Rory, "Is it just me, or does something go wrong on me every single time I've tried to plan a lunch here?"

Rory shrugged, "Yeah, I think maybe you should stick to dinners. That one where Grandma went after Gran at the Independence Inn seemed to go pretty well. Luke, you never met Gran, did you?"

"No, but I've heard enough stories to be grateful I dodged that bullet."

"She probably wouldn't have minded you," Lorelai replied thoughtfully, "Not sure she would've been okay with you dating her granddaughter, but she held a strong appreciation for anyone dedicated to their job."

"Speaking of dedication, stop looking at the front desk, Michel and Justine seem to have things under control," Luke smirked, poking Lorelai in the arm.

"You're one to talk, Luke 'Counter Wiper' Danes. I haven't seen you so lost since Lane was running the place."

Rory dropped her chin in her hands, smiling at their banter, and, just like old times, settled in to enjoy the show.

"Hey, I admit to that," he quickly surrendered. "I hired on extra people after Zack left, expecting that I'd end up losing a few, and I didn't. Even Cesar has extra help since it turned out Aaron was better in the kitchen than he was at waiting tables. And that's why I get to enjoy a nice lunch out, and I'm not going back until it's time to lock up. The only reason I'm going back at all is because John's taking off early for his anniversary." Luke smirked, "What say you, Lorelai 'Let Me Re-arrange the Books in the Library One More Time' Gilmore?"

Lorelai couldn't help but look guilty. The extra staff she'd hired to cover the Dragonfly in her absence was almost a little _too_ good _._ And while it turned out to be extremely useful that she'd been around for much of the summer to work on the charity event she'd managed to secure for the fall, outside of that there were times she felt useless being there. "Well, I thought I'd be riding roller coasters around the country. But _somehow_ my kid's hot stuff."

"Hey, don't put that on me. You raised me. If you wanted a coaster riding buddy, you should've bought me comic books instead of novels, kept me at Stars Hollow High instead of letting me go to Chilton, and that whole Yale thing? Who's the one that pushed the pro/con list, huh?" Rory defended herself with a grin. "Besides, there's no reason the two of you couldn't have spent the entire summer on vacation. I mean, except for Luke's adversity to traveling."

"I don't mind traveling," Luke objected, "I _was_ going to take April on that boat trip."

"Yeah, except you were going to spend most of the time on the boat," Rory pointed out. "And you were miserable at Martha's Vineyard last year."

Despite the harshness of Rory's accusation, it was honest, and Lorelai was curious to see Luke's response. The two of them had already talked about it at length, and Luke had felt incredibly guilty that it was yet another thing he'd managed to hurt Lorelai with that year.

After the breakup, she'd offered Rory the necklace Luke had given her, and Rory told her Logan had confessed to helping Luke out. Lorelai wasn't surprised, but it had still added salt to the wound. She hated thinking back to that weekend. The one night and subsequent morning of normalcy hardly made up for Luke's grumpiness; she'd been so angry for letting herself open up to him only to wind up hurt again the second they were back in Stars Hollow.

"I'm sorry, Luke," Rory quickly added, seeing the look on his face. She winced as she spoke, "That wasn't fair, I know you were going through a lot at the time."

"No, don't apologize. I was an ass that weekend, and I owe _you_ a belated apology for that. If that jerk hadn't shown up, I might have been able to redeem myself our last day there. But I was acting ridiculous, and I'm sorry for that."

"Eh, water under the bridge. Mitchum ruins everything. I do miss that house, though," Rory sighed. "I wonder how far it is from the place Grandma and Grandpa are renting. It's a really nice area. I hate that the timing of my article lined up with Grandpa getting cleared to travel. But if _they_ can squeeze in a vacation, there's no reason you two can't."

"I was actually thinking about that earlier," admitted Luke, "Lorelai, we're in a good place to take a week or two off and actually take a vacation together at some point."

"That _would_ be nice," Lorelai agreed.

As she started mulling over the idea, Sookie reappeared with Theo, "Every time I come back, I lose another member of my brood. Now where did all of them run off to?"

"They're with the horses. Of courses, of courses." Lorelai didn't need to look at Luke to know he was rolling his eyes at her pathetic Mr. Ed reference.

"I think we should probably get going. This one's gonna need a diaper change, and it doesn't look like his daddy listened when I asked him to refill the bag," Sookie sighed. "Of course, the other two have been insane today, so it's possible he didn't hear me at all."

Sookie said her goodbyes and left to retrieve the rest of her family. When it became clear they'd long since departed, Luke decided to go pull April away from what he figured was likely becoming a scientific study on horses.

Lorelai watched him leave, her gaze lingering on his retreating form until she was hit by a napkin. She frowned at her daughter and threw it back, hitting Rory square in the face, and adding, "This could get ugly, I suggest you end it there." Rory raised her napkin in surrender as if it were a white flag.

"So, Luke and babies, huh? Never saw that one coming."

"Really?"

"You did? I mean, before April?"

"Well, yeah. We had talked about having a kid or two of our own at some point." Lorelai was surprised this was a topic she and Rory had never talked about much before. Looking back, she realized, the only conversation she'd had with Rory about having kids with Luke was her pregnancy scare, and that hadn't been a particularly positive chat. She cocked her head a little, looking at her daughter curiously, "What's the weird part for you? Luke with any kid, or Luke and I with kids?"

"Neither, really… I mean, I always wondered if it might be a possibility. But I didn't really think about it in specifics too much. And since you'd never brought it up…" Rory shrugged, "Then, Lane mentioned he's amazing with the boys, and the way I saw you two oozing all over Theodore…"

"Ooze?! Gross."

"It was pretty gross," Rory mocked, "You and Luke are oozing all over each other all the time. What was that all about in the diner last night, anyway? It's a good thing we came in when we did, huh?"

"The diner's seen a lot more than-"

"Mom! Stop!"

"You started it."

"Not _that_. Anyway! It's impressive that you two managed to avoid being a part of this little unexpected baby boom our town has seen," Rory steered the conversation back on topic.

"Weird, isn't it? It'll be funny to see these kids wreaking havoc all over town in a few years," Lorelai shook her head, "In all seriousness, though, I'm incredibly relieved that, after everything that happened, we didn't accidentally bring a baby into our mess of a relationship. I don't think I could've handled that on top of everything else, knowing how things turned out. And now... we are being very careful in case there's something in the water here."

"And you _want_ to be… careful?" Rory prodded.

"Far be it from me to be a traditionalist, but there's something nice about the idea of someone being bound by marriage to sit in the delivery room with you. Plus, if we're keeping score, it would be kinda nice for Luke and I to have at least one kid that was planned, and born to married parents. I won't say it hasn't crossed my mind, especially with all these little ones everywhere, but… I want other things too. Like a lasting relationship."

Lorelai knew she wasn't getting any younger, and the topic of kids was one she'd been working hard to avoid thinking about despite them springing up around her. She still couldn't believe that Lane had managed both marriage _and_ babies before she'd even had a fighting chance at the marriage part. As happy as she was for Lane, there were times it still stung a bit. Luke wasn't the only one to ache over lost time.

"Sometimes you are so wise about all this relationship stuff now, it's scary," Rory teased.

"Well, I think, at this point, I've lived through enough disasters, I might as well learn _something_ from them. I admit, it really is funny to see how comfortable Luke is around babies though, after all those years complaining about them."

"Uh, yeah. I hadn't ever considered that he'd known Jess as a baby, but of course he would've. Jess never really talked about it."

"Jess never really _talked_."

"Just not to you. Any time he knew someone had a negative opinion of him, he pretty much did everything to encourage it. It drove me nuts."

"Ohhh, you have no idea." Lorelai smirked for a moment, then, thinking of his last email to Luke, smiled a little, "At least he turned things around. He emailed us about your article."

"Emailed _us_? Ewww, you're oozing again."

"Emailed _Luke_. No ooze. Luke's afraid of technology, so he says, 'I should check my email.' and I say 'Your laptop is over there.' and then he gives me this look, grabs _my_ laptop, sits next to me, and points at things. Which he could do on _his_ laptop that _he_ bought to keep in touch with _his_ family, but won't. So, I check his email for him when he asks me to, and I end up seeing anything he gets. And, let me tell you, fishing store ads are even more boring than they sound. So this, to me, translates to both of us being emailed whenever someone emails him. It is not _oozy,_ it's Luke being, well, _Luke_. And as I was _saying_ \- Jess said he wasn't at all surprised, and it was a pretty big hit around his shop. You know… you should call him."

"No. I told you what happened… and I hadn't even thought about it again until just recently."

Lorelai nodded, having her own lengthy history of run-ins and awkward conversations with exes, and was quickly distracted as an excited April bounded through the doors, followed by an irritable Luke.

"Lorelai! Duncan said no one's booked for tomorrow and I can totally ride Cletus for as long as I want, but you and my mom and dad have to approve, and Mom already said it's fine as long as you and Dad are okay with it, and there's some paperwork you have that Dad has to sign. Ooh, and Rory, you should come too! Ride Desdemona!"

Lorelai chuckled at April's enthusiasm, and looked past her at Luke as she heard Rory explain to April why she would absolutely _not_ be riding a horse.

Luke sighed, "She texted her mother, and Anna said it's no big deal. I don't wanna be the one to rain on April's parade even though knowingly putting your life in the hands of a four legged animal is insane to me."

"Well, so much for that knight in shining armor fantasy," Lorelai mock-pouted before trying to help April out a little, "You know, they're not racehorses, they're well trained to carry people around at a super slow pace. Not unlike the ones that pulled you on a sleigh around town years ago, whom you _liked_. I believe the word beautiful was even used. She'll be fine."

Luke didn't look convinced, but his grumpy expression changed to one more resigned to his daughter's fate, and he dropped into his chair next to Lorelai. She patted and rubbed his shoulder in a conciliatory fashion, knowing this was just one in a long line of compromises he'd be making as the parent of a teenager.

She looked over to find Rory glaring at her while continuing to talk to April, "And _she_ told me it just laid down for a nap. It _died!_ I was the last stop en route to the glue factory. And I wound up in a _ditch_! And stop rolling your eyes over there, Mother, I'm never riding a horse again."

* * *

April watched Lane and Rory shuffle out the door, and turned to watch Lorelai and Luke with Kwan and Steve. Once again, she felt her frustration with her mother rising and wondered if it would continue every time she saw her dad with a kid in his arms.

"I think I'm gonna hang out in there for awhile," April motioned toward Rory's room.

Her dad was busy trying to detach Steve's hand from his ear, but she noticed a look of concern cross Lorelai's face.

"April, you want to hold Kwan for a bit?" Lorelai asked, turning the giggling baby toward April.

She faked a smile and held up the CD Lane had just given her, "Nah, that's okay. I want to hear what's on this anyway, and go over some of the stuff from camp. I'll come hang out again before you put them down to sleep, though." Her reasoning didn't change Lorelai's expression, but she let the matter drop.

April walked into the bedroom, leaving the door open so she wasn't putting out that "emo teenager" vibe her mother occasionally accused her of. How her mother had learned the word "emo" she'd never guess, but she really didn't appreciate it. She grabbed her CD player and notebook from her backpack, her phone from her purse, and flopped onto Rory's bed, then flipped open her phone and scrolled through her text messages.

She grinned at the ones from Maya and Kristin, already missing her new friends. The one from Jamie wasn't particularly special, but she felt a little giddy that he'd been keeping in touch. He'd made the freshman cross country team. She replied letting him know she was going to ride a horse. The last text was from her mom.

"Great timing," she muttered, reading the text.

 _hey kiddo! staples catalog arrived! school supply shopping trip when u get home?_

April frowned. She was fourteen, she hardly needed her mother to babysit her while she bought pens.

 _yep. meeting amanda and kaylee day after i get home._

She didn't actually have plans with them yet, but she knew they'd be up for it. And they'd planned to have lunch to talk about their summer trips anyway. She listened to the conversation from the living room while she waited for her mom's reply.

"So much easier to watch these two at Lane's. Did Rory have this much _stuff_?" Luke grumbled.

"At my parents' house, she did. And more. But you know Richard and Emily. After that... well, I didn't leave with much. So, no. She had a few toys from the lost and found from the inn, or used ones from thrift shops and yard sales. Mostly, I read to her, though. Library cards were free, and she was pretty mellow. I'd start reading and she'd just stare at me with those big eyes. And, yes, I realize I only have myself to blame for the whole book thing."

April felt her mood worsen. It reminded her too much of her own childhood. She loved listening to her mom read to her, even years after she'd learned how to read on her own.

April snapped her phone shut, threw it back in her purse, and reached for her headphones. She put Lane's CD in her player, and increased the volume. She wasn't even sure how she felt anymore, her emotions ran so hot and cold. One moment she'd miss her mom, and the next she'd be consumed with anger.

Science camp had been a huge relief. She'd been doing her own thing with her own interests and didn't have to worry much about anything else. She'd sent the requisite daily text, and then a longer email every few days. She avoided talking on the phone to her mom as much as possible, claiming it was too loud in the hostel to hear. It wasn't a complete lie. There was always something more fun or interesting to be doing than talking on the phone to parents.

She thought back to her talk with Rory the other day, and the various times she and Lorelai had issues. The difference was that Lorelai and Rory didn't have deep, underlying drama, it was always around certain incidents. April groaned and increased the volume on the CD player a little more to drown out her thoughts, tired of contemplating her relationship with her mother. She rolled onto her stomach and flipped open her notebook, reading through some of the notes she'd taken, nodding her head to the beat of the music.

As she reached the end of the CD, she sensed movement in front of the door and saw Lorelai standing there with Kwan, bouncing him on her hip. April pulled her headphones off and gave her a small smile.

"So, I think we're gonna order pizza for dinner. That sound okay to you? Because there's a million other options..."

"Pizza's good. I like pretty much anything on mine."

"Don't say that so loud, we'll wind up with a bunch of veggie pizzas with extra veggies," Lorelai whispered conspiratorially, pointing toward the kitchen with her thumb. "Bad enough he's throwing together a salad."

"We can balance that out with that garlic cheese bread, though."

"A kid after my own heart," Lorelai grinned. Kwan let out a little squawking noise, dropped his toy, and stretched out his hands toward April. "I think someone wants to say hi."

April moved to a sitting position on the bed, scooting over to make room for Lorelai, who sat and handed Kwan over.

"Hi there, Little Kwan Man," she greeted him, and couldn't help the grin that burst through her face when he squealed and smiled at her.

"A happy baby is an instant mood lifter." Lorelai said softly, reaching out to tickle the bottom of Kwan's foot.

"Yeah," April agreed, "You're a lucky little guy, Kwan, and you know it too, don't you?" Thrilled at being spoken to, Kwan let loose a series of squeals and babbles, blowing raspberries at her, and started to drool. Lorelai handed her the cloth rag she'd had on her shoulder, and April wiped his chin.

Luke appeared in the doorway, Steve in one hand and a phone in the other, "Did we decide?"

Lorelai nodded, "Two of Pete's Pizza Especials, both large, no mushrooms. And an order of garlic cheese bread."

"Uh, with salad and a veggie pizza, don't you think that's a bit much?"

"No. Because we need more leftovers than usual. Hi, there are growing children here," she waved Kwan's hand at Luke.

"I'm not even gonna..." he muttered, shaking his head and walking away. Lorelai grinned widely at April.

"You are exceptionally good at diversion tactics," April said, letting out a small chuckle. "Lorelai, I know we're still getting to know each other, and I don't want to be rude and bring up stuff that's none of my business. But do you mind if I ask you about your parents?"

"Of course not, what do you want to know?"

"When did you start... having issues... with them?"

Lorelai narrowed her eyes a little, having some idea why April was asking. She thought for a moment, "You know, there was always something there, for as far back as I can remember. Keep in mind, the world you grew up in, the world we live in, this is nothing like what I grew up with. Did you ever want to play an instrument when you were little?"

"Yeah, first clarinet, and then I saw my friend's flute and wanted that instead." April smiled wryly, "Neither stuck."

"But your mom let you pick?" April nodded and Lorelai continued, "I wanted to play guitar, but had piano lessons. I was also taking ballet class, but wanted to take tap."

"I wanted to take tap too! Also didn't stick because I was pretty klutzy and couldn't keep time very well."

"But your mom let you decide. I didn't get to do that, I didn't have a choice in most of my clothes, either. I think I went straight from crinoline to plaid private school uniforms. And at some point, I started sneaking jeans and t-shirts in. And, you know, the teen years are hard on everyone. I'm sure you can guess what happened there that might cause a few issues between us."

"Rory."

"Rory," Lorelai smiled fondly, squeezed April's knee, and stood. "Being a kid is hard, but so is being a parent, you know? And no matter how good of a job you think you're doing, something's gonna happen to make you realize you could've done a million things differently. But then you also know that if you had, maybe a million other things would've happened instead."

Kwan fussed a little at the lack of attention, and Lorelai handed him the toy he'd dropped, much to his delight. She gazed around at the select things Rory had chosen to leave up on the walls. Some Yale stuff. A few of her travel posters. Sometimes it felt just like yesterday she'd curled up with Rory in the potting shed behind the Independence Inn, excited to have a little tiny place to call her own. Other times, it seemed like an eternity had passed. She figured Anna probably felt similarly. There were moments, like this one, where she felt a little sorry for the poor woman. Especially seeing what April was going through; as a mother, she knew there was likely equal pain and confusion on Anna's end.

Lorelai reached up and touched the most recent addition to Rory's wall - a goofy photo of the two of them at Rory's graduation from Yale. Emily had directed their pose, and right before the camera could click, they'd bounced out of place with silly expressions. Apparently feeling generous that day, Emily had taken the photo anyway, and even laughed after doing so. It remained one of Lorelai's favorites, not just because of the photo itself, but the memory of the moment.

"It will get better, April. It will. Just keep working on it," she smiled, trying to lighten the mood a little, "You know, things are a lot better with my parents lately. If that can improve, any mother-daughter relationship has a good chance of being repaired."

April nodded, considering Lorelai's words while she continued to play with Kwan. Lorelai moved to the doorway to watch Luke with Steve in the kitchen as he explained, in a goofy tone, the ratio of spinach to chopped vegetables he was using in the salad. She figured Mrs. Kim would highly approve of this particular discussion. Seeing Luke beginning to struggle with a sharp instrument in one hand and a baby in the other, she walked over to take Steve so Luke could chop in peace.

"A bit easier to watch these two with an extra set of hands around," she nodded toward Rory's room as she sat at the table with Steve, bouncing him a little on her knees. "Lane gets help, but for the most part, I really don't know how she manages alone. Not sure what I would've done with two."

"What did you do in your dream?"

Lorelai laughed, caught off guard. She was surprised he remembered her dream from so many years ago. "Eh, never quite got to that part. I woke up after you kissed me goodbye, unborn dream babies still very much unborn."

"See, that's what I thought."

"What?"

"The night you told me about your dream, you conveniently left out the part about me kissing you. Or you tried to, anyway. It was still pretty obvious where you'd cut yourself off."

"Yeah, well, you were with Nicole."

"And if I wasn't with Nicole, would you have told me?" Luke challenged.

"Probably not. Doesn't really matter now, though, does it? I dream about kissing you and then I get to wake up and live it. While I relived DreamLuke's kisses several million times, it doesn't even compare to the real deal." She saw the side of his mouth turn up into a grin, even as he tried to hide it. "You're looking awfully pleased with yourself over there."

"Dunno what you're talking about."

A bit later, April insisted she see her father feed the boys so she could prove he wasn't lying, and offered to hold Kwan while Luke fed Steve. She had Lorelai take a few photos to show Rory later. She'd considered taking a photo with her phone to send to her mother, but decided against it - only because she really wasn't in the mood to communicate with her at all, even if it was to prove a point.

April returned to the bedroom after dinner and decided to put away some of the books she'd acquired at camp that she didn't plan on taking back to New Mexico, and decorate with some of the things she'd bought earlier in the day. Her dad and Lorelai had offered to help, but she shooed them away, wanting to put her own dent in her new little nook. She'd found an older mix CD that Lane had given Rory years ago, put that in Rory's CD player, and had fun dancing around as she worked on the room.

Later, she heard Rory and Lane's voices in the entryway, and decided to greet them, excited to show off the work she'd done. Walking out, she noticed her dad spooned behind Lorelai on the couch, the main menu music of the DVD they'd been watching repeating itself. Rory came up behind her and chuckled, "Oh, those two."

Lane went upstairs to check on the twins while April pulled Rory into their room to show off her handiwork, seeking advice for a few items she thought she might ship back from New Mexico. Lane joined them shortly after, and the three began discussing the mix CD April had found. Rory unearthed a large stack of CDs from a drawer and dropped it on the desk, much to April's delight.

"Have fun," Rory grinned.

"You know, those were meant for listening, not just collecting," Lane put her hands on her hips and frowned at Rory.

"iPod, Lane. I have playlists for each and every one of those. Dad prides himself on the technologically relevant gifts, if you recall."

"Ah, yes, the Sidekick, and that digital camera that caused the wedding speech heard 'round the world," Lane nodded.

"Wedding speech heard round the world?" April asked, looking through the stack of CDs.

"Um, yeah, at Lane's wedding," Rory made an attempt at being vague, shooting a frown at Lane, who looked back apologetically.

"Who gave a crazy speech? Kirk?" April asked, sitting on the bed and leaning back on her elbows.

"Lorelai, actually," Lane replied. "Too much tequila."

"What does a camera have to do with that? Did you record it or something?"

Rory and Lane exchanged another look, and Rory sat next to April on the bed, sighing, "I had pictures on my camera of us in Philadelphia. My mom saw them and realized we'd met, and... she was already feeling a little sensitive because her wedding was still postponed and here Lane was getting married. Add too much tequila, a microphone... and it was pretty bad."

April frowned.

"Hey," Rory said quietly, "Don't worry about it. It's all better now. Just go look on the couch. It's cute. And also completely gross."

April shrugged. "It's still crappy. I have tons of friends with parents and step-parents, and it's not weird. But both of _my_ parents have to go and be stupid about it. I knew it was going to be bad that first day I met Lorelai. I tried to downplay everything, but I knew she was trying not to completely break down in front of this kid she didn't know existed, and Dad was a panicky, nervous wreck when he came back in the diner. My dad is stupid and my mom sucks."

Rory didn't bother trying to correct her. She knew what it was like to feel that kind of anger toward one or both of your parents, and April certainly had every right to be mad at them. She sighed and patted April's leg, "We ordered dessert to go and I couldn't decide so we got a few orders. You want some?" She nodded toward the kitchen. "Seems like it would be a good time for something sweet. And coffee?"

April smiled a little and nodded. Lane jumped up, "I'll go start the coffee and grab the food. We can eat in here so we don't wake sleeping beauty and his princess."

They chuckled as Lane headed into the kitchen, shutting the door behind her.

Rory looked over at April, "You okay?"

April nodded, "It's just hard. I hate my mom for never telling my dad about me. I hate my dad for not telling Lorelai, and then never letting us meet. I hate my mom for making him feel like he had to keep me away from Lorelai... it all just makes me really mad sometimes. And things are so weird with my mom right now."

"Things are a little weird with my dad right now, too. Parents suck sometimes."

"Rory, I'm really glad you're here. You're good at the older sister thing."

Rory chuckled, "Well, I don't really know what I did, but I think I just happened to luck out with the younger sister thing."

"Any idea when that's gonna be official? I thought they were back on track, like, _really_ back on track."

"Nope. And Luke's being annoying about the whole thing, too. I just know I'm gonna get a call about an engagement when I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere and wind up with a voicemail I can't access for days. So if you want to know what the deal is, bug him. And then tell me," Rory smirked, and April laughed in response.

Lane returned with a stack of takeout containers, and forks. "I made it half-caf since it's late. Don't ever tell Lorelai, she'll disown me and never watch my kids again. What'd I miss?"

"Debating how long it'll be before I can officially call this one my younger sister."

"Oooh," Lane dug into the mint chocolate cake, "God this is good. Like someone turned Thin Mints into a cake. I think they're being obnoxiously slow for two people who were supposed to be together all along. Your thoughts?"

Rory took a bite of the german chocolate cake with caramel drizzle and sighed appreciatively, "This one's good too. I think this place might have a weird obsession with Girl Scout cookies. This is totally a chocolate cake Samoa. Brilliant. I just hope one of them proposes soon. It makes sense that Luke should do it this time. My mom did it last time, and even as far as those two have come this summer, I still think it would be good for him to be the one to put it out there. And I got him to admit he swiped her ring without her knowing."

April stared at Rory in surprise. "Wow. I feel like I'm a little out of the loop," she traded the brownie she'd taken a few forkfuls of for Lane's cake. "I don't know either of them as well as you two do, but I don't know how it could possibly be too much longer. And I don't know how much longer they can keep up this whole doting on babies thing without wanting one of their own."

Rory nodded, having had similar thoughts earlier, and left to retrieve the coffee. Glancing toward the living room, she saw her mother trying to slowly extricate herself from Luke's arms without waking him. She smothered a giggle at the awkward movements, and went about preparing the coffee. Stirring in the cream and sugar, she looked up to find her mother sniffing the air as she walked into the kitchen.

"Coffee? Without me?"

"It's half-caf. And you were dead asleep five minutes ago."

"Gross. I raised you better than that. How was dinner?"

"Lovely. Lane is an excellent date. We're chowing down on the dessert we brought home if you want some."

"Nah, April bet I couldn't finish the cheese bread and I had to prove her wrong. Possibly regretting that now. I'm gonna go figure out where I dozed off and finish my movie. The boys are upstairs, I haven't heard any noises from them in awhile."

"Yeah, Lane checked on them when we got home and the baby monitor's with her in my room. She'll probably head home in a bit. Is Luke okay down here with his bedroom being borrowed?"

Lorelai nodded, "He's dead to the world. Muttered something about the oven a few minutes ago. I'll pull him from his fascinating kitchen dreams once Lane takes the boys home." She took one last sad look at the coffee maker, "Half-caf is such a tragic thing to wake up to."

"I feel guilty enough giving Luke's daughter _half_ caffeine at this hour as it is." Rory picked up the coffee mugs and Lane's mug of what looked like chamomile tea and headed back to her room. Lane and April were talking about a few of April's friends that Lane had met a few times before.

"Libations for my ladies," Rory announced, "Though, Lane's is just grass steeped in water by the smell of things."

"You'll learn someday, Rory, when you're breastfeeding. There is no greater regret than a caffeinated, grumpy baby. And then multiply that regret by two. What was really weird was the day I drank a ton of iced tea at Luke's while I was pregnant. It was quite the party in there."

Rory grimaced; the idea of something throwing a party inside her abdomen creeped her out.

"Babies are fun, but I think I'd only have one as some kind of science experiment," April said thoughtfully, "Kinda see what the whole experience is like. I think that might be the wrong motivating factor for having a child, though."

Rory nodded, "Yeah, I'm not so sure that's in the cards for me. Pregnancy freaks me out enough without even considering the childbirth aspect. I love you, Lane, but I'm really glad I wasn't there when you went into labor." She retold the story of Sookie going into labor the day she and her mother had arrived to set up for Martha's baby shower.

Lane laughed, "It's really not that bad, you guys. Though I have to admit, if not for those two surprising me, I'm not sure when I would've decided to have kids. Especially if I'd known I'd wind up with twins. So it worked out. And, hey, if Lorelai and Luke have kids, he's already got the whole rushing a woman in labor to the hospital thing down."

"He what?!" April gasped, laughing, "I don't think I ever heard this story."

"I called Zack at Luke's when my water broke, and they both showed up at our place. Zack was freaking out, but Luke was super calm, making sure I was okay, and everything. He wouldn't let Zack drive, so he loaded us both in the truck and drove us to the hospital. Zack's hand was shaking so bad, he couldn't fill out the insurance forms and paperwork, so Luke handled that, too. He even sat with me a few times when Zack had to take a breather. He was great. Then, my mom got there, ready to take care of things, y'know, as Mrs. Kim does, and she was so shocked she just reached over and hugged Luke. My mom does not hug, and Luke's not really known for hugs, so it was one of the most awkward things I've ever seen. Of course, then a contraction hit and she kicked him out of the room until the boys got here," Lane laughed. "He stayed in the waiting room the whole time, though. I'm not sure Zack would've gotten through it otherwise."

April shook her head in amazement, "Okay, watching him hold babies is shocking enough, but... him not freaking out over someone actively giving birth is just too much for me right now."

"Yeah, I was waiting for Lane to get to the punchline the first time I heard that story. It's still weird," Rory finished off the peanut butter brownie, "That was so a Tagalong brownie. I love this place."

The three finished eating the rest of the desserts, and helped Lane load Kwan and Steve into her car. "You sure you're okay getting them back home?" Rory asked, "We wouldn't mind following you and helping."

"No, I'm fine, I promise. I've done it a million times, we've got a whole routine. I appreciate the offer though," Lane smiled, hugging her best friend tightly, "Thank you so much for the night out."

"It'll be our thing," Rory grinned. "When I come home, we get at least one fancy night out, all to ourselves, and we'll snag the younger one for dessert after if she's here," she smiled at April, who looked a little surprised and very pleased to be included.

April headed inside while Rory stood on the porch waving as Lane drove off. She leaned against the porch railing, making sure to securely place each moment of this trip in her memories so she could revisit them when she was so far from home again. She rubbed her bare arms, feeling the chill of the night settling in, a little sad she'd missed all the warm summer evenings in Stars Hollow.

Rory sensed movement behind her, but didn't turn to look, knowing it could only be one person. She smiled as she felt her mother wrap a blanket around her shoulders.

"Starting to cool off a little at night. I can't believe it's almost September already," Lorelai said quietly, "I figured you'd need something to keep you warm if you wanted to stay out here a little longer."

Rory turned to find her mom standing behind her in pajamas. "You joining me?"

"If you don't mind. I sent Luke to bed. He was still talking about that oven, by the way," she sat on the steps and looked over as the light went out in Rory's room. Rory joined her, resting her head on Lorelai's shoulder. She felt her mom's head gently lean against the top of hers, and closed her eyes, remembering a similar moment after they'd first moved into the house. The place was mostly unfurnished then, still unfamiliar, and they'd been missing the summer nights they'd spent outside at the Independence Inn watching fireflies and telling stories.

"I miss this," Rory whispered. "Hanging out with Lane, hanging out with you. I love everything about what I'm doing, but... I have a new appreciation for coming back home. And I feel silly because it's only been two months. But after the last few years... it's really important to me, you know?"

"I do. It's what I always wanted for you. What I've never really had."

"You have to promise me, wherever you and Luke wind up over the next few years, that it has a porch so I can visit and we can pretend no time has passed since the old days at the Independence Inn."

"Wherever we wind up?"

"Mom," Rory chided softly, "This place was great for the two of us. But now there's four of us, and someday, probably more, by the sounds of things."

She felt her mother tense. After a moment, Lorelai whispered, "I don't know. It's the one thing I can't let go of. It's why Luke expanded the bedroom in the first place. The idea of moving was devastating. At the time, it was my only connection to you and we weren't talking, so I needed to have something. And now, you're gone again..."

"We left the shed, though. That has just as many memories. I was just thinking back to the summer nights when it was too hot to be inside, and we'd sit outside the shed with the windows open, waiting for it to cool down."

"You got really good at reading that summer between first and second grade. That was when you started reading me stories instead of the other way around."

"I remember. And dancing with fireflies," Rory smiled. "Is the shed still back there?"

"No, unfortunately. I took a few things from it before it was demolished. I have a frame in my office at the Dragonfly with a bit of the wallpaper... and photos of everything, of course."

"That's good. I'm sad it's gone, though. I don't even know what's over there now."

"Offices, actually. It's really nice. Our lawyer for the Dragonfly just started leasing one of the offices there, so I've been there a few times. It's a little weird to see it as anything but the inn, but it works. The lake and most of the outdoor area they donated back to Stars Hollow as a park. We were supposed to vote on a name at some point, but I'm not sure what happened with that. Taylor probably has some horrible idea up his sleeve. He should just let Mia name it."

Rory felt a small ache in her chest over all the memories from the shed and the inn. Time could be cruel that way, not allowing you to hit the pause button on one specific thing. As often as Stars Hollow felt immune to change, there was always some kind of movement forward. She burrowed closer into her mom's side as Lorelai's arm slipped around her shoulders.

Her mother may not be able to see it now, but Rory knew it was only a matter of time before life's forward momentum affected this place, too. Her house might see a new family someday, and someone else might sit on the porch and make new memories. But for now, Rory could pretend she was ten again, and it was just the two of them.

They stayed outdoors, both eventually burrowing under the blanket Lorelai had brought out, sharing stories and memories of life at the Independence Inn, talking until the sky began to brighten.


	14. H2O2

**Chapter 14: H2O2**

"Noooo…" Lorelai buried her head under a pillow.

"You have to get up! It's my last day here!" Rory gave up poking her mother and simply crawled on top of her back.

"GAH!" Lorelai rolled over, dumping Rory over to the other side of the bed. Rory moved the pillow under her head as she settled into her new spot. Catching a scent she could only determine was Luke's shampoo, she immediately hopped off the bed as if she'd been stung. Lorelai used the one eye that would open to shoot her daughter a strange look, "What, you'll lay on me, but not on a bed?"

"That's… Luke's side. That's… weird."

Lorelai successfully forced her other eye open for the sole purpose of being able to properly roll her eyes at Rory. "Please. Nothing has happened in here since you've been here other than sleeping and talking."

"Well, of course. Nothing's gonna happen when you bring Ren and Stimpy to bed with you," Rory motioned to her mother's pajamas.

"You're just jealous because I actually managed to _find_ Ren and Stimpy pajamas."

"I am, actually. If you can't find them next week, you know where they went. Speaking of clothes, I really need to switch out some of mine while I'm here. Now that I've been out there for a few months, I kinda got the hang of this, and there's a better method for combining outfits I need to take advantage of. This requires shopping, though, which I'm sure you'll be happy to assist me with today. Oh, and April's at Luke's, his note said, um," Rory reached into her pocket and fished for the post-it, "'Coffee in maker. Pancakes in foil by stove. Lunch at diner? Something something April something... death?' That can't be right. Death? Maybe dearth?"

Lorelai yawned, "Probably death. Gotta be about the horse ride."

Rory shook her head, "Oh, Luke. And the best part is at the end - Rory picks dinner," she grinned. She noticed her mom starting to burrow back into her pillow. "No, no! Come on, get up. Get up! Coffee in maker! Pancakes in foil by stove! More importantly, hello, last full day with daughter! Up, up, up!" Rory knocked Luke's shampoo-scented pillows off the bed, and made a grab for the ones under her mother's head. "UP!" As she left the room, she dragged the blankets down the bed, and headed downstairs, smiling at the overdramatic shouting she left in her wake.

By the time Rory had made the coffee and heated up the pancakes, Lorelai had arrived downstairs in jeans and a short sleeve top, her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Rory wondered how her mother was even able to see through her barely open eyes.

Lorelai reached for the carafe of coffee, wondering how Rory was even able to be up at this hour. "Is this normal… do you normally not sleep? At all? Because I'm pretty sure we went to bed like four hours ago."

"I sleep. I just don't really get a full night of sleep very often. So this is not an unusual feeling. I'm used to time zone hopping and odd hours, and I usually manage to hang in there until I can get a few coffees down. Bad coffee, I should point out. Being a grown-up is hard."

"Roller coasters would've been _so_ much more fun," Lorelai yawned, face down in her coffee mug.

Rory placed the pancakes and syrup on the table and sat down. "Eat. You'll feel better once you've had some food. You can't sleep through my last day here, especially at the table."

"Okay, so just ditch your new job then and start a website writing rollercoaster reviews," Lorelai mumbled.

"Sounds good. Just the kind of thing you go to Yale for," Rory rolled her eyes and dug into her food. "You've got to get over the rollercoaster trip."

Lorelai took a bite of the pancakes. Even reheated, Luke's pancakes were magical. As she immersed her next bite in a pool of syrup, she began to gain more awareness of her surroundings. She squinted at the coffee mug Rory had just taken a sip from, not recognizing it, and nudged it with a finger to turn it a little after Rory put it down. She saw GG's little handprints and frowned. Rory noticed Lorelai's expression and followed her line of sight.

"Oh, wow. I didn't even pay attention to… why is this even here?" Rory bounced up quickly, about to grab another mug.

"Rory, it's fine. It's just a mug. I can ship it to your dad's place later this week," Lorelai reassured her.

"Well, you might want to either ship it to Francine's house, or wait a few weeks to do that since he's moving and all..." Rory trailed off, noticing the confused look on Lorelai's face, "Ah... you hadn't heard?"

Lorelai shook her head. There hadn't been much need to be in contact with Christopher these days, a fact for which she was grateful. Still, it was a little odd to feel so disconnected.

"Where would I have heard?"

"I don't know, you used to keep in touch. It's weird for me to actually know something about Dad before you do. Not _bad_. Just different... you always being his main focus and all."

Lorelai cringed at that, but didn't deny it. Rory had always been _her_ priority, but Lorelai had always been Christopher's. The only time she had ever put Christopher ahead of her relationship with Rory was last year. One of the many things she'd blown up over the past year.

Although she'd been responsible for her own actions, Christopher had certainly had a hand in what occurred as well. What they'd done - everything from the night she'd spent with him after Luke rejected her, the day they decided to get married, and the night they decided to break up - those choices had affected the girl whose handprints covered that mug, as well as the older daughter currently holding it. And knowing that hurt more than Lorelai could ever fully explain.

"I'm so sorry, Rory."

"You don't have to apologize. For most of my life, he was the one that was either using me to get to you, or when he didn't have to do that, I was kinda just the gift with purchase you wind up with at the cosmetics counter. Just took me a long time to realize it."

Lorelai raised her eyebrows at Rory's sharp tone. "Rory, I… well... first, don't be so hard on your dad. He never had to actually be a parent until GG came along, so even though I always left that door open for him, he never knew what to do with it. I hit the ground running as a parent because I had to. And second, I'm _not_ apologizing for him," she reached out and grabbed Rory's hand, "I'm apologizing for what _I_ did, because I never did before. You were right when you called me out on it right after Luke and I broke up, how I didn't consider you. I _didn't_ consider you - or GG - at any point while I was floundering over the past year. And I'm sorry for that. For all that Luke did and didn't do, he at least was putting April first." Lorelai held Rory's gaze, forcing back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Mom…" Rory choked out, also holding back tears, as both mother and daughter ached for the other, "Don't. It isn't fair to be so hard on yourself. We've moved on."

"And do you think GG is going to feel that way when she looks back on her childhood and finds herself being bounced around the way she was?"

"That's on Dad. He threw GG right in there without any regard for her stability. And she's already aware…" Rory tapered off, hesitating.

"What?" Lorelai asked, unsure if she really wanted the answer.

"Well… I'm not really sure if I should... "

"Is everything okay?"

It was the amount of concern on Lorelai's face that convinced Rory to continue. She knew Lorelai had come to love the little girl, and still cared for her, no matter what had happened between her and Christopher.

"It started when GG wouldn't get on the plane to go visit Sherry this summer," Rory began slowly. "Like, she screamed and threw a fit in the airport, and the nanny freaked out, and brought her home. I know she can be… precocious… but this was different. I guess she's been kinda, well, like you said, getting bounced around a lot, and even more since you and Dad broke up. And she'd been starting to have major issues - complete meltdowns any time she had to leave home, or if Dad or one of the nannies was leaving. It's hard on me sometimes with work, never fully knowing what's next even with a schedule in front of me, so I can't imagine what it's like for a five year old without _any_ point of reference."

"And that's the thing we should have considered."

"That's the thing _Dad_ should have considered," Rory corrected her. "That's the thing a parent considers. Instead, _he_ dragged her into this thing with you, then had her spend a few weeks with Sherry in France, then you guys broke up, and she wound up with two new, alternating nannies. He increased her hours at pre-school, and she was splitting her days up between Francine's and Dad's. And they all thought that flying her to France this summer with one of the nannies was a good idea?!

"No one's been looking out for her. Even when Dad was first telling me the whole story, he was making it seem like it was GG's fault, which made me angry and I told him so. _That_ was a really ugly phone call. I let him know he was doing the same thing he'd done to me, but it was far worse, because _she_ was actually relying on him. I never had to, and knew better." Rory paused to breathe, taking in her mother's horrified expression. "Mom, it's not your fault. That's my point."

"I had a hand in it. Maybe not as much as your dad, but… my god, Rory. She was fine while we were together."

"Because you were a parent, and Dad had someone to shadow. Anyway, I laid into him and didn't hear from him for awhile. He called a week or two ago and we had a good talk. I guess GG started crying a lot at pre-school on top of everything else, and the teacher finally sat him down. So they've been seeing a family therapist in Hartford. He bought a huge house there, and Sherry's going to fly in and visit GG there instead of trying to constantly uproot her and send her to France, at least until she's older."

"That's good."

Rory rolled her eyes, "Seems like that should've been obvious, though. Who sends a kid that age alone to France with a new nanny? Anyway, there's this massive guest house for Sherry, so she has her own place for GG to visit. Francine has a room in the main house, too. He offered me one, but…" Rory shrugged, "I'm not going to be out there often enough for it to matter, and if I'm ever crashing in Hartford and not here, I'd rather stay with Grandma and Grandpa anyway. So I told him to let GG help decorate a guest room and let that be the room I use if I ever need one."

"That's sweet of you. So, is she doing better?" Lorelai asked hopefully, still feeling a little like her chest was caving in on her. The last time she'd spoken to Chris was at Rory's graduation, and he'd made it sound like things were okay. But, then... that was typical Christopher. And that's why she'd always turned to him - he ignored the harder, uglier parts of life and made it easier for her to forget. It's what their entire friendship had been based on as kids - escaping their realities.

"A little. Dad said it's slow, but she's making progress. They're both making progress. I think they've only scratched the surface of the Chris and Rory issues, though…" she smiled wryly, "But… he's definitely gaining some much-needed perspective."

Lorelai let out a deep breath, "Man. That domino effect. Poor GG. And to think I was jealous when we first found out Sherry was pregnant… if I'd known what the next few years of GG's life were going to be like..." she shook her head, trying unsuccessfully to clear out the guilty thoughts plaguing her. "Weird to think of Chris raising his kid among the Hartford elite, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Rory sat back and looked around the kitchen, "Makes me really grateful for how I grew up. Just goes to show you how much of a difference one good parent can make."

She knew Rory was thanking her for her own upbringing, but Lorelai still couldn't get past the negative effects from the past year of GG's life. In trying to salvage her own life, she'd completely destroyed a little girl's. Rory noticed the pained expression still covering her mother's face.

"Mom. You know GG's issues are from five years of chaos, not just the last year. You may have had a hand in some of it, but it's not the same thing. It was Dad's responsibility to protect her from that. Not yours. You barely even dated when I was her age. And look at all the amazing memories you and I talked about all night, most of them from my first few years of life."

Lorelai nodded silently as she ran her finger along her coffee cup. She watched as Rory took their plates to the sink, and recalled the beautiful trip down memory lane they'd taken the previous night. When they arrived in Stars Hollow, she'd made every effort to give Rory the life she dreamed of as a kid. Where imagination could run wild, and any future was possible. In part, she was also creating that life for herself - the advantage of having a child so young was being able to raise yourself _and_ your child the way you wanted to be raised from the beginning. She vowed to pass on that sense of endless possibility with any children she and Luke might have. And she hoped Christopher would find it for GG.

"Hey. If I have to tell you that you've given me everything I've ever needed every time I'm here, I will." Rory said, tugging Lorelai out of her chair and into a hug.

Lorelai held her daughter close, sniffling a little as she whispered, "Kid, that feeling is entirely mutual."

* * *

"APRIL! Let me look at you!" Liz squealed, blindly handing off Doula to her uncle as she burst into the diner. Luke rolled his eyes as he shifted Doula to his side, and put the plates he was handling down on one of the empty tables.

"Heyyy! Aunt Liz!" April grinned.

Luke was grateful that April had bonded so easily with his sister. Given April's science-driven brain and Liz's hippy-minded existence, he'd worried there would be a bit of a clash between the two. But it turned out, their excitement at meeting each other and having another family member added to their small clan drew them together, and they found more in common than he'd expected. He smiled fondly as April ran to meet Liz with equal exuberance, the two exchanging a massive hug.

"TJ is going to be so mad he missed you! He's still out doing a few trade shows. I had to cut out early because Doula's been getting these nasty ear infections. I don't know how I forgot. Jess had them too, when he was a baby, and so did I. She's feeling much better now, aren't you honey?" She grinned, speaking in a tiny voice to her daughter. Doula squealed happily, burying her face in Luke's shoulder. "But I think we'll stay put so she stays healthy and I'll ship out jewelry as we need it. We'll spend the last two weeks out there with Daddy, though, won't we, my little princess Doula Guinevere Torelli." She reached out and tickled her daughter's belly, eliciting a few giggles.

Luke smiled down at his niece. Despite her ridiculous name, she was a very happy baby. He guessed it had something to do with laughing at TJ whenever he was in the room.

"Oh, April, before you leave, I made you a new necklace. It's a little New Mexico, a little Connecticut. I was going to grab it, but I was too preoccupied making sure I had everything I needed to help out my brother here," Liz grinned at Luke.

Luke felt himself panic a little, "Ah, Liz…" before Liz could react, he put a hand on her shoulder, hoping she understood he needed her to avoid elaborating on that sentence. He quickly looked over at April, "Hey, we'll be upstairs for a bit. Come get me if it picks up down here, or if Rory and Lorelai get here early. We'll be back in a bit."

He saw April nod, and before she could inquire further, Luke headed upstairs to the office with his sister and niece. After placing Doula on her blanket on the floor with a toy, he and Liz sat across from each other at the table. Liz pulled a small box out of her bag and handed it to Luke.

"I couldn't believe I still had it. You know, I used to wear it around my neck all the time when I was little to feel closer to Mom. And the last time I saw it, I was afraid my ex-boyfriend was gonna sell it for drug money, so I hid it. But I was going through an old suitcase _the same day_ you called asking about it, and there it was. If that's not a sign, big brother, nothing is."

Luke opened the box and carefully ran a finger over his mother's wedding ring. It was small and delicate, just like she had been. The ring was far too small for Lorelai, in both size and style. He'd thought Liz might want to give it to Doula someday, but Liz had shrugged it off.

He put the box down, and walked over to his toolbox sitting near the door of the office. Grabbing the familiar box of nails, he heard Liz laugh behind him at his choice of a hiding place. Luke set it next to the box containing his mother's ring, taking a good look at both pieces of jewelry side by side.

Liz opened a folder she'd retrieved from Doula's diaper bag on the table. Stuffed behind a few receipts and sketches of necklaces was a folded paper with a few different sketches of rings on it.

"The photos you sent of her old engagement ring were perfect, especially the different angles. Go ahead and look it over. The rings are both from around the same era, so the styles are a little similar. You can see there are nuances of each ring in every sketch, too. She'll know it was her ring, you'll know it was mom's ring. A little bit of history made into a future," Liz smiled proudly.

Luke returned the smile, appreciating the time and thought she'd put into this. For as kooky as his sister could be, he was grateful for her sentimental side; sometimes she had a better grasp of these things than he did. He looked at his sister's drawings, exhaling loudly, "Liz these are incredible. You did all of these?"

"You bet I did."

Luke looked more carefully at the individual sketches. Each design had a few different angles. She'd clearly spent a lot of time on this, but it didn't take him long to make a decision. "This one," Luke pointed to the first design. "These are all great, but that one..." he wasn't quite sure how to finish the sentence.

Liz beamed, "I felt that too! That was the first one I drew, and even when I finished with all of them, that was the one I felt the connection to."

Luke nodded, "Okay, so what do we do next?"

"Give me the rings, and I'll run those and the sketch over to Amos today. He'll call you when he's got something for you to look at, and you guys can work together until it's done. He'll also add in the extra little diamonds for the wedding band that fits in." She pointed to one of the smaller drawings next to the design he'd picked.

Luke grimaced a little. He'd spent a lot of time talking to Amos back when he'd spent those seven weeks in Maine; the older gentleman and his wife didn't live very far from Stars Hollow. And while he trusted the man, he was a little worried about Liz having both rings in her possession.

"Luke, you gotta trust me. I'm packing all this up, and going straight to his place. Here, how about this. I'll take the rings and leave Doula with you, so I have no distractions, and I'll come right back here after I drop them off."

He wasn't sure if he was being duped into babysitting or if she genuinely wanted to focus on her mission. He sighed, "Fine. April can keep an eye on Doula while I deal with lunch. So what do you think we're looking at timing-wise?"

"No more than a few weeks probably, knowing him. Getting antsy?" Liz grinned.

"No, I just want to have it ready. Every minute that passes, it feels like we're that much closer to it, you know? And the last few days, much as I hate to lend credence to anything Patty and Babette have to say, it feels like we already have this… family… together. I didn't expect that."

"Well, then, let me go do my part to help!" She stood, "You do realize, though, that this is exactly what you were pushing back against last year, right? You could've had this then."

"Yep."

"Okay, I just want to make sure that-"

"That I know I was an idiot? Yes. I'm aware. It's been eating at me all week. You happy, _little sister_?" Luke teased, mock-punching Liz in the arm.

"Yes. Thank you. And I'm gone!" Liz said goodbye to her daughter, and left.

Luke played with Doula for a little while longer as he pondered what to tell April. Coming to a decision, he picked Doula up, headed back downstairs, and entered the diner... to loud squeals of joy from Patty and Babette. He handed over his niece before he lost an arm, and went about helping April with a few orders as the lunch crowd started trickling in.

Before he knew it, Luke saw his favorite mother/daughter duo heading around the corner, and motioned toward the table where April's book lay as they entered. Lorelai dropped her purse on one of the chairs, and approached the counter.

He noticed her face looked a little drawn - she was definitely tired, probably feeling sad about Rory's impending departure, but… there was something else as well.

"Hey," she smiled, giving him a quick kiss hello over the counter.

Luke pulled back and motioned to the side of the counter with his head, giving her a look of concern as she met him next to the register.

He reached for her chin, gently turning her face up to look at him, and he moved his hand over to her cheek. Their eyes connected, and after a moment, he asked "You okay?"

Lorelai nodded slowly, "Just a weird morning. I'll tell you about it later." She put her hand on top of his and turned her head to press a kiss into his palm. "Promise." Luke caressed her cheek for a few seconds before remembering they had an audience. He sighed and dropped his hand to her shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"Coffee?"

"Yes. And cheeseburgers. With bacon. And fries. And hold the side salads." She leaned against the counter as she watched him reach for two mugs, "My daughter all but dragged me out of bed this morning so I wouldn't miss a minute of our last full day. Problem is, I'm probably not going to get the late night I intended which I'd much prefer to an early morning. Early mornings are for birds and Lukes and not much else." Lorelai fought back a yawn, lost the battle, and ended up yawning twice, "Hey, what's Doula doing in Patty's clutches? Where's Liz and TJ?"

"TJ's doing another trade show, and Liz had errands to run, so I told her she could leave Doula with April and me. Which has turned out to be Patty and Babette, who've done everything but change her which, of course, they left me to do. Very thoughtful, those two."

"Awww, well, she still likes you the best, look." Lorelai motioned to the lively table in the middle of the diner, and Luke looked over to find Doula giving him her best thousand watt grin, along with a side of drool. He shook his head and reached for the cloth diaper he'd stuffed in his back pocket as he walked over to his niece, wiping the droplet before it could fall to the floor.

Lorelai grabbed the mugs and looked back over at Rory, who was, once again, watching Luke tend to a small human with a completely bemused expression on her face. Lorelai slid Rory's mug onto the table, taking the seat across from her. "Never gonna stop being amused by that, are you?"

"Nope. Even after seeing him with the twins last night, his old rants about babies in the diner is still fresh in my mind."

Rory grinned as she saw April approaching with a plate. "Ooh, my chili fries!"

"Your chili fries?" Lorelai frowned, and reached for one.

Rory smacked her hand away, crying out, "Hey!"

April giggled, sitting down and sliding her book into her bag.

"My chili fries. I texted April with this order before we left." Rory held up a finger, "Hands off. I'm starving after all that talking and shopping."

"Well, that's not fair!" Lorelai frowned. She watched Rory for a second as April engaged her in conversation, asking about their day. Lorelai discreetly reached for her phone, hiding it under the table as she quickly pushed a few buttons.

Finished with her task, she sat back and sipped her coffee, watching as Rory's phone buzzed. Rory pulled her phone out of her pocket to find a text from her mother.

"You're pathetic. I can share if you're feeling faint," she nudged the plate toward Lorelai, "But texting me when I'm sitting across the table from you doesn't count. I ordered via text in _advance_. And I'll have you know that you have regular access to these chili fries. I have to settle for soggy potatoes masquerading as fries, and greasy slop failing at being chili. So when you are reaching for your tenth one, please remember that in two days I'll be crying into a mess of food that even Oliver Twist wouldn't touch."

Lorelai held her hands up in surrender and turned her attention to April. "How's your morning been? Aside from not informing me that you're taking orders via text."

April chuckled, "Good. Doula's been here over an hour, and the only chance I've had to hold her was when Babette was trying to get someone to change her. And that was only to pass her over to Dad. So, I've been keeping busy with other stuff. I read a bit. And I reorganized a bit of the storeroom. Maybe I _should_ spread the word about texting in orders. Could've made the day a little more exciting."

"Your dad would be in a murderous rage after you head back to New Mexico, you know that."

"That's the best part - he couldn't kill _me_ because I wouldn't be here."

"Man, and I thought chili fry hoarder over there was the evil child. Leave me to deal with the angry guy getting texts at three in the morning from Kirk making sure his breakfast order is in."

"Oooh, I don't think I'd wish that on anyone," April cringed. "Maybe email would be better…"

"Uh-uh," Lorelai shook her head, "I tried to talk him into faxed orders once so I could fax orders over from the Independence Inn. He got the line, never advertised it or hooked it up to anything. And he still won't use his laptop. The less technology, the better."

The bells on the door and a loud squeal from Doula announced Liz's arrival. "Hi, baby girl!" Liz returned the massive smile Doula was giving her, and much to Patty's dismay, quickly scooped the infant up, pressing a kiss against her blond curls. "Lorelai! Rory! I was hoping I'd see you before you left! Give me one second to talk to my brother and I'll be right over!"

Lorelai watched curiously as Liz and Luke scurried up the stairs; she looked over at April, "What's that all about?"

"No idea. She got here, was about to tell me something, then Dad dragged her upstairs, and a bit later, she came down practically running for the door. She's been gone until just now."

"Huh," Lorelai decided to shrug it off. She figured Luke would let her in on whatever Liz was up to later. The siblings had grown quite a bit closer over the last two years, which was nice to see. Until Jess arrived, Luke had rarely spoken of his immediate family. As odd as Liz could be, she was a kind, genuine person who cared a lot for her brother. It was still hard for Lorelai to reconcile her with the same woman that had given up on Jess and sent him to live with Luke.

A few minutes later, Liz hurried back down, Doula's previously happy face having shifted into a ball of red, squalling fury.

"Pre-nap meltdown," Liz explained, "Rory, I'm so sorry I won't get to see more of you before you leave. You'll be home for the holidays?" Rory nodded. "Wonderful! April, Lorelai, I'll see you guys for dinner later this week. I gotta get this one home to bed before she takes out my ear drum." Liz bolted out the door, and Lorelai turned to glance back at Luke as he approached with plates of food.

"I love that kid, but man, she can scream," he grumbled. "April, tuna sandwich; Lorelai and Rory, cheeseburgers."

"Um, sir, I specifically requested no salad." Lorelai glared at the smaller plate Luke placed near her, before directing the same offended look back at Luke.

"Uh-huh. And when you're not paying, you don't get a final say. You only ate the carrots out of the salad I made last night."

"Oh, I pay. I'm definitely paying." Lorelai sighed, stabbing at a cherry tomato. She figured she'd save the best for last and finish off the salad first. She pulled the tomato off the fork with her teeth, staring Luke in the face, "Paying!" she said around the tomato and proceeded to chew it.

Luke rolled his eyes and, before leaving to attend to a few other customers, pointed at Rory and April, "Don't even." He eventually returned with a grilled chicken sandwich for himself, and sat down.

"Liz sure is a woman on a mission today," April prodded her father.

"Yeah, with TJ gone, she needed some help with some stuff for their jewelry business," Luke replied, keeping his expression neutral. April took a good, long look at her dad. Lorelai and Rory seemed convinced, but they hadn't been there when Liz had arrived. Liz had mentioned helping _him_ out, not the other way around. Luke caught April's eye and gave a slight shake of his head. Something to ask him about later, she figured.

"Oh, well that's... nice of you..." April stared him down for another few seconds, and noticed Rory looking at her curiously. She was going to miss having Rory around. She'd always wanted a sibling, but never realized just how much fun it could be having someone on the same team.

"Rory, are you sure you don't want to go riding with me today?" April asked her. "It'll be fun, and statistically speaking, it's highly unlikely another horse could die under you. And Duncan even said they're young, in good health, and likely to live for many, many more years."

"Nope. Not happening. But there's probably some delicious dessert Manny's made that I'll be happy to enjoy while I watch you from a safe distance."

"Fiiiine. Lorelai, is what I'm wearing okay?"

"Yeah, the horses aren't particularly interested in fashion. I mean, there's the Vogue I found out there a few weeks ago, but I'm pretty sure someone swiped it from my office and forgot to return it. While Cletus _has_ been known to break out of his stall and wind up inside the inn, I don't think he's stealthy enough to get into my office and swipe a magazine."

"Very funny. Duncan said jeans and tennis shoes, but he didn't mention anything about a shirt. I thought long sleeved because of insects, but it's kind of hot out there today, so I brought another shirt to throw over this tank top just in case…"

"The tank top will be fine. We'll coat ourselves in sunscreen and bug spray before we head out," Lorelai smiled.

After lunch, Luke - feeling a little wary of entrusting his livelihood to his newest staff during an abnormally busy lunch rush - sent Lorelai, Rory, and April on ahead. Despite his best intentions, it wasn't much longer before Cesar all but kicked him out the door.

He mentally went through the longterm to-do list in his mind as he drove to the Dragonfly. With the ring out of his hands for now, his next item was the car situation.

Lorelai's jeep could fit four, but the leg room in the back seat was tight, and there was no trunk. His truck was all storage, no back seat. Although fine for the two of them, it would mean taking separate cars over the holidays every time they needed trunk space, which wasn't ideal. Luke liked the idea of the four of them loading up presents and visiting Liz and TJ, or Emily and Richard. And beyond that, looking toward the future, neither car was practical for a potentially growing family.

He dreaded broaching the subject with Lorelai, though. The ridiculous car hunt the two of them had gone on months ago was still fresh in his mind. He knew the experience had been necessary; Lorelai had gotten what she'd wanted in the end, and the trip had served the greater purpose of dissipating the thick awkwardness between the two of them.

Still, he wasn't looking forward to attempting it again. Having three cars between the two of them seemed absurd, but he couldn't figure out a way around it. Lorelai was fiercely attached to her jeep, his truck was in flawless condition for its age, and as time had proven again and again, having it around was extremely useful.

Luke pulled into the Dragonfly's employee parking lot, and began making his way toward the stables. Seeing April in a helmet made him remember the ridiculous get-up she'd worn when they first met. Though she was clearly her father's daughter as far as taking precautions went, Luke was glad to see she'd lightened up a little. He wouldn't have expected the overly cautious little girl in the crazy looking bike helmet to have begged to take a train home from New York City alone, or felt comfortable enough to ride a horse without a full football uniform on for protection. They'd both become a little braver over the past year, it seemed.

April caught sight of him and he saw her bounce excitedly as she waved. Luke chuckled to himself, waved back, and walked a little faster toward the stables. She was standing near an odd wooden thing with four legs and a saddle mounted on top of it.

She caught his confused look. "It's to practice on. It's neat. Watch." April mounted the saddle and Duncan nodded approvingly before walking into the stable.

"Nice," Luke smiled, and looked over to see Rory stretched out in an Adirondack chair nearby, clearly keeping her distance from all things horse related. He heard the sound of a galloping horse and turned to see Lorelai atop Desdemona. She brought the horse down to a trot as she drew closer, and Luke couldn't help but stare.

He knew Lorelai loved the inn's two horses and had been ecstatic to have them at the Dragonfly. What he didn't realize was that Lorelai wasn't just comfortable around them, she clearly knew how to ride them. And she was glorious. She laughed at his expression as she expertly dismounted, and he realized he was outright gaping at the woman he thought he knew so well.

"How…?" Luke stared, unable to finish his sentence.

"Oh, come on. Horseback riding lessons? It's what rich kids do. It was one of the few things Emily and I agreed on when I was little, but she never let me get my own horse. There's an album of me in the whole English riding getup and my old ribbons somewhere at my parents' house. I had a deal with my instructor; in turn for cleaning some of the stables, I got to do some western riding after I'd finished with the lessons my parents were paying for. _Those_ contraband photos I have in a box somewhere at home."

She reached up and scratched Desdemona's hindquarters, much the same way she scratched Paul Anka's. Luke laughed when he saw Desdemona's leg twitch a little, just as Paul Anka's did. He could definitely see a younger Lorelai finding a little bit of freedom riding horses in her youth, but he couldn't believe this was the first he was hearing of it. He knew she'd wanted a pony as a child, but he'd figured all kids wanted one at some point.

"How long did you ride for?"

"From about age seven through, well, fifteen," she motioned toward Rory. "Technically, Rory's first horse ride was _not_ the one she remembers. One of the things I'm a little sad I didn't pass down to her," Lorelai added.

"Okay, April, you ready to show off those mounting and dismounting skills on a real horse?" Duncan asked as he led Cletus over, and motioned to a mounting block next to Cletus. "You can try it from the ground next time."

April rubbed her hands excitedly as Duncan walked her through getting on the saddle and how to sit. She was a little shaky and slow. The wooden horse she'd practiced on didn't shift or breathe, so the experience was clearly a little different, but she still grinned happily as she moved from the steps to the horse. Duncan got her settled in, and he held the reigns as he lead her away slowly, letting her get used to the feel of things.

Luke looked over to see Lorelai stroking Desdemona's side idly while she watched April. He thought back to his own first childhood experience with a horse. He'd been going through a cowboy phase, and one of the locals would bring a pony in during the Stars Hollow Spring Fling. Kids would get dressed in in western accessories and sit on the pony for a quick photo.

He'd been excited about it for weeks, but when he was suddenly face to face with the pony, he'd freaked out and run home crying, immediately putting an end to his cowboy obsession. Bootsy had teased him for months after that. He'd long since gotten over his aversion to horses, but Luke Danes was definitely not one to seek out or otherwise bond with the animal kingdom; he didn't count his odd relationship with Paul Anka - the dog was hardly normal and he'd been obligated to put up with him. In spite of his nervousness about April riding, he was glad she didn't harbor the same fear of animals he'd had as a kid.

Luke watched Lorelai mount Desdemona again, making what should be such an awkward balancing act from the ground look effortless; he tried to shift focus from her legs before he was caught admiring them. Unfortunately, the bemused expression on Lorelai's face told him that his gaze had lingered just a second too long and hadn't gone unnoticed.

"What?" he feigned innocence.

"You know, years ago... my mother said you looked at me like I was a Porterhouse steak."

"I don't really like steak."

"Well, we both know that I'm not going to say you just looked at me like I was a salad. Green and leafy, I am not. Perhaps the tall drink of water analogy?" she cocked her head.

Luke couldn't hold back the unexpected belly laugh that erupted, and he put his hand on the leg he'd just been ogling. Its owner placed her hand on his.

"She really said that?" Luke asked.

"She did. She also said you looked at me like I was about to give you a lap dance."

"Now I know you're lying. Emily Gilmore doesn't say lap dance."

"She did, I swear. And she wasn't completely wrong, just a little off with the timing," Lorelai waggled her eyebrows flirtatiously.

Luke smirked, turning bright red as he heard Rory yell, "HEY! Children present!" from her chair. He decided to hazard a glance to his left and found Rory with her book over her face, then looked back up at Lorelai who, as expected, was grinning.

She patted his hand, "All right, let's go give April the best first horseback ride in history so we can do this again some time." Luke removed his hand, slowly and lingering, making sure it brushed the length of her leg as it dropped. She giggled softly and poked him with her boot, then called out, "Hey, camera girl!"

Rory moved the book off her face, camera already in hand. She stood up and walked next to Luke as Lorelai backed up, quickly sending Desdemona into a gallop toward April, Duncan, and Cletus.

"She's nuts," Rory muttered as they walked, "But it is fun to watch her ride."

"Does she do that often? She's never mentioned it, not once."

"When she can. Duncan says they even like her better than him. It's one of the few things she does that I think can qualify as being genuinely therapeutic. I can't believe she's never taken you out here."

"She sorta did once. But I don't remember her mentioning riding." Luke mostly remembered Shel, the chicken guy, and the conversation that led to him buying the self-help books that had finally pushed him to pursue Lorelai. He smiled a little at the memory.

Luke and Rory followed at a distance, talking about how beautiful the grounds of the Dragonfly were, how at ease April seemed to be with Cletus even as Duncan handed her the reigns, and how excited Lorelai looked to have someone to finally share it with.

"What happened with your mom this morning?" Luke asked recalling a different expression on Lorelai's face earlier, "She's clearly feeling better, but that probably has something to do with the horses. She looked a little upset."

"Ahh…" Rory cringed, "I told her something I probably shouldn't have. Just… more stuff that's come up from the past year. But it's probably something you should talk to her about," she looked at him apologetically.

"Yeah, she said we'd talk later, I just figured it couldn't hurt to get a head start."

"I didn't realize the healing process could hurt so much. She really did a number on herself," Rory sighed.

Luke knew that much of what they'd been dealing with - and especially what Lorelai had been going through over the past few months - had a lot to do with Lorelai handling herself badly, not just dealing with the things _he'd_ done. Still, one was tied to the other, and it bothered him that he'd hurt her so deeply. Everything with Christopher had hurt him, but it was a lot easier to get over, and it was something he had mostly dealt with by the time they'd gotten back together.

"Hey," Rory touched his arm, "She's good, Luke. But my mom's a lot more emotional than she tries to let on, and I know she tried to suppress a lot when she and I weren't talking, and then with you last year, and then again with my dad... there's just a lot of unraveling to do. I'm just glad she's not doing it alone. This could've been a lot harder."

"I get it. And she's been doing better. We both have. That's why I was surprised to see her looking so sad this afternoon."

Rory nodded, "Well, try not to worry too much." He chortled in response. "Yeah, yeah, I know," she smiled, "So, speaking of this morning, what part of Liz's jewelry business do you help with at the diner?"

"She had some jewelry sketches she wanted a second opinion on," Luke stuck to the alibi he'd come up with earlier. With the inquisitive scientist, and miss reporter extraordinaire around, he was glad he'd taken the time to put together a decent story.

"So she came to you," Rory eyed him.

"What can I say, I have an eye for it. Jewelry's about all I can do when it comes to gifts."

"So I've seen. And I almost believe you. I probably would if I hadn't seen April staring you down at lunch."

Luke frowned. He really hated being at the other end of one of Rory's interrogations. There was no doubt this girl was in the right field. He determined the best course of action was to just stay quiet. He had really hoped to keep the ring to himself; it was bad enough Rory knew as much as she did. He didn't want any expectations or questions from anyone, not even Rory or April.

"Come on, Luke! I have to go back to life in a bus tomorrow. Give me something happy to think about. Please?"

Not only was Rory in the right field, but there was also no doubt as to who her mother was.

"Rory, I don't have anything more to tell you. Liz came by to run some drawings and ideas by me. We talked about their business. I don't know what you want me to say."

"Say that one more time, but look me in the eye when you do it."

He ignored her. "What do _you_ think she was doing?"

"I think it has something to do with the fact that your sister makes jewelry, and that you have a missing engagement ring in your possession. Which came up in conversation again today, by the way. She's going to figure it out eventually."

"Liz was here for business and to show me a few drawings, nothing more." He wasn't lying. Luke's business was with Amos with Liz as a go-between, and she could technically use her other designs if she ever wanted to get into more expensive jewelry.

"Okay. Sticking to your story. I respect that. You already have my number in case your story changes, so I won't leave my card," Rory said with a teasing grin. "I should warn you, though, April's probably not going to let go of this as easily."

Luke guffawed. "Rory, when there's something to know, you'll know. You have my word."

"Yeah, yeah."

Confident with April's comfort level on Cletus under Lorelai's supervision, Duncan headed back to the stables while the four continued their walk.

Rory looked around as they walked through the more wooded area of the Dragonfly property, breathing it in, "Man, I'm going to miss this. I'm excited to get back to work, and have already been getting twitchy seeing someone else doing my job. But it's been amazing to be home for a few days."

"It's been good having you here. Your mom really inspired that article, huh?"

"I'd hit a wall in my writing and was really unhappy with my original story. I think even my editor knew it was far from my best work, and was taking it anyway. But… Mom said something about life not so much changing as it was evolving. And I started thinking about the difference between the two and how well it correlated to the Senator's hopes for the country's future… and the words just started flowing."

"Wow," Luke pondered. The biggest issue between he and Lorelai previously had been their inability to really evolve as a couple. He'd had the same problem as an individual, he'd discovered, which probably had some correlation. It pleased him to know that Lorelai was noticing their relationship had grown, though; so many of his own issues as an adult had come from being too stuck in the past, unable to move forward, and he'd worked hard to fix that over the past year. Having April around had certainly helped.

Thinking of Lorelai's evolution, he'd noticed she let her serious, more vulnerable side show through a lot more often; her proclivity to hide behind a mask of humor had certainly lessened. Whether that was a deliberate choice or the mask simply wasn't big enough to hide everything behind anymore, he wasn't sure, but it had definitely encouraged him to avoid hiding behind his own emotional walls as well.

"DAD! Catch!" April shouted from several feet away. Luke looked over and caught the apple being thrown to him.

"Why are you in swimming when you can throw like that?!" Luke yelled back.

"Because I don't run!" April laughed.

April and Lorelai had paused while April picked a few more apples, sliding them into her saddle bag. Lorelai picked a few apple blossoms as well, tucking one behind her ear as Rory continued photographing everyone.

"Did you know you had apple trees back here?" Luke asked after he and his fellow pedestrian had caught up.

"Of course. It _is_ my property. I'm just not too big on apples, myself, unless they are in a pie," Lorelai replied, braiding a few flowers into Desdemona's mane.

"I'm pretty sure I've seen you eat an apple before."

"Yes. Like a lot of fruits and vegetables, I _will_ eat them. But it's very rare I think to myself, 'Gee. An apple sounds really great right now.' I ate a ton of 'em that year the cider mill's orchards had that huge surplus and they were insanely cheap, though. And," she pointed at Rory, "When I was pregnant with that one, I ate like ten apples a day."

Luke chuckled, having a hard time imagining it, "Well, you should bring home any that Sookie doesn't use. I happen to like apples." He rubbed the apple April had tossed him against his shirt and took a bite, "And these are _really_ good."

Lorelai nodded, "I can do that. We actually sell some of this to Jackson since they're different from the ones he grows, and there are a _lot_ of fruit trees back here. I wish Fran had sold this to us while she was still alive so we could've asked her more about it. I think they had a pretty big fruit orchard back here at one point. One of these days I'll finish digging through the old documents we have and see what other historical information I can pull up. Taylor hasn't been much help."

"When _is_ he any help? Or do you not remember Sores and Boils Alley?"

"Ugh. I still have one of the brochures I had printed up to see if I could live with it. You'd think someone so obsessed with the town's economy would've given consideration to what that name could've done to an inn with a highly rated restaurant. He's lucky that stupid idea wasn't permanent," Lorelai grumbled.

She took the camera from Rory, and handed her an apple in return, "Here. Feed that to Desdemona and make friends." She handed Luke another one, "And you go make friends with Cletus."

Luke sighed, "I'm not afraid of the horses, I just don't want to _ride_ them." He walked over and offered the apple to Cletus, who happily started eating it out of his hand. He couldn't help but smile as he scratched the horse's neck.

Rory, on the other hand, approached Desdemona warily, talking the horse through the process. "Okay, look. See this apple? I'm going to give it to you. I really, really like my hand. And I see you have some pretty big teeth. So I'm going to offer you this here fruit. Actually, I'm going to use my left hand because I'm right-handed and really like writing." She switched the apple to her left hand, and held it up, letting out a small squeal as Desdemona bit into it, eventually getting up the nerve to cautiously stroke the horse's nose with her finger.

Luke hadn't realized how massive the Dragonfly's property was. Lorelai could easily expand the inn someday, if she were ever interested, and still have plenty of outdoor space.

He really wished Lorelai had taken him farther out when she gave him his investor tour years ago, or at any point after that; the place was beautiful and reminded him a little of the property on which the Independence Inn once stood, but larger and far less manicured. He much preferred the more rustic environment here.

They followed a small dirt trail, staying quiet as they enjoyed the surroundings, pausing occasionally while Lorelai pointed something out, or took a picture. During one such moment, his eyes caught a few beams of light as it streamed through the trees. He felt himself begin to really relax and unwind as he immersed himself in the beauty of it. He hadn't gotten outdoors nearly enough this summer. One of these days he was going to make Lorelai pay for all the times they went shopping and drag her camping for a weekend.

His thoughts were interrupted as he felt Lorelai's warm breath on his ear. "You're entranced."

"I never realized how big the property as a whole actually was," Luke turned, not realizing April had also dismounted. The horses were tied to a nearby post, enjoying a drink of water. He reached for Lorelai's hand and linked their fingers, walking around the clearing at which they'd arrived. The spot was up a slight hill from where they'd started, with a bigger drop off along the other side that overlooked a small creek; he paused there to enjoy the view. "Why didn't I buy this when I had the chance and move the diner out of the middle of town? This is much more my style."

"Hah! I had dibs," Lorelai grinned, squeezing his hand. "Though technically, as an investor, you do sort of own part of it." It had been awhile since she'd been this far out on the property, and it was nice to be able to share something like this with Luke. It was out in nature, but not too far.

"Are these cherry trees?" Luke asked, noticing the branches arching overhead.

She nodded. The spot was beautiful in the spring. "These particular ones don't have fruit, but they flower beautifully. In April, when they're in full bloom, we offer packages for guests to come out here with picnic baskets and eat under the cherry blossoms. It's one of my favorite things we've ever done, and it was a huge hit both years. I think we'll do it again this year." Lorelai left out the part about having originally saved the first spot for her and Luke, canceling the plans when he decided to escort April on her trip. She refused to let herself think too hard about it, though; what's done was done, and it was in the past.

"How far in advance do you take reservations?"

"I'll have to check. Make sure it's not already booked up," she joked, shooting him a wide grin, knowing full well it wasn't on any official agenda yet. He smiled back, one of his typical Luke smiles where he'd try to push back against it, but the slight up-curve of his mouth was still visible, and his eyes betrayed him completely. It made her swoon a little whenever it was directed at her, and she took the opportunity to tug him against her.

"One hint of romance, and you can't contain yourself, can you?" he muttered, his face barely centimeters from hers, his hand falling to her waist.

"Hmmm..." she pretended to consider his question, letting her eyes drift down to his lips. "Nope," she finished, bridging the gap. No longer hearing April and Rory's voices, she figured they'd wandered far enough away for her to enjoy the moment a little more, and she pulled Luke closer, putting a little more into the kiss.

She laughed right into Luke's mouth when he immediately grabbed her wrists and pulled them out and away from their bodies, knowing he'd done so deliberately to prevent her from letting them wander.

"Awkward," he pulled his face back a few inches, referring to her reaction.

"Well! You… detained my hands!"

"Your hands can't be trusted," he whispered. Before she could reply, he moved back in to finish the kiss her laugh had interrupted, her wrists still held by his hands. As the kiss deepened, he moved them up around his neck, resting his own hands at her waist.

She pulled her head back again slightly, "Oh, and you can be trusted? Because I can give you several examples proving otherwise, most recently-"

"Shhh. Stop interrupting me," he pulled her against him, picking back up where they'd left off.

By the time Lorelai overheard Rory and April's voices approaching, one of Luke's hands had moved back up to hold her hand to his shoulder. As they pulled apart, she quickly moved her free hand onto his hand at her waist, trapping his fingers where they'd strayed just below the waist of her jeans.

"Hypocrite," she smirked, slapping his hand lightly before releasing it.

"I wasn't talking about _my_ hands," he grinned, kissing her forehead as April and Rory approached.

"Dad! Did you know there's a lake down there?" April exclaimed, running over to Luke, gesturing in the direction she and Rory had just been before leading him over.

Rory sidled up to Lorelai with a raised eyebrow. "You two," Rory stage whispered.

"What'd we do?" Lorelai tried very hard to play dumb. Rory's expression told her she was hardly fooling anyone.

"You know, I have been single for awhile, but not that long. I know what it means when two peoples' cheeks are all glowy and blushing like that. You are worse than teenagers." Lorelai put her hands over her cheeks, condemning them for tattling. Rory waited until Luke and April were a little farther ahead, then added, "Plus! I had the misfortune of seeing hands where hands should not go when there are offspring present."

"A hand."

"What?"

"A hand. Just one. And it wasn't mine. I was banned."

"Banned?"

"Apparently, my hands are not trustworthy."

"Okay, stop right there," Rory warned. She paused for a moment before speaking again, "Is it weird?"

"Oh, honey."

"Not… ugh. Mom, I'm being serious."

"Me too. I'm very seriously sad for you-"

"Mom," Rory sighed. "You and Luke. You guys were very low-key last time. To the point that sometimes, you still seemed very platonic, even when you were engaged. Now, I get that stuff is different this time. But… it's weird to see you two so touchy and lovey-dovey. Does _that_ feel weird?"

Lorelai thought for a moment, "At first, I thought he was just rubbing it in everyone's faces because there was that whole weird ban on talking about us or even acknowledging us when we were together or whatever. I'm still not clear on the what the rules were. But even after that was dropped, he kept it up. Before, I mean, whenever he was… demonstrative… like that, it was rare, and I really enjoyed it when it happened because it _was_ so rare... y'know, Luke being Luke… it made it kind of special… but now it's not rare, and I still get just as giddy. It still feels special, no matter how many times he doles out a little PDA... So, I don't know. Is it early relationship tingles? Are we just making up for lost time?"

"I don't know. I don't think there's a guidebook for third time relationship attempts. You guys are on your own."

"Exactly. So just in case it's temporary, I'm going to enjoy the hell out of it. And if it's permanent, well, I think I can live with that." They quietly watched Luke and April talking and gesturing about what seemed to be water sources as they pointed toward the creek and back to the lake. Lorelai figured it must be somehow related to fishing.

"What were you and April talking about?" she asked Rory.

"Boys."

"Boys?"

"Boys. But I can't tell you anything else, it's not…" she paused, thinking. "Hey, remember that Mom Code you had with Mrs. Kim?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Call this the Sister Code."

Lorelai frowned slightly, "Okay… I get that. But… there's nothing Luke needs to worry about?"

"No. She just… had a burgeoning summertime romance cut short by a mean daddy who wouldn't let her ride the train home with him. And that's all I'm offering because I know the look on your face, and you're totally telling Luke."

"Uh..." Lorelai faltered, knowing full well she would be, but wasn't quite willing to admit it. The boy part of the train ride was a new part of the story that had been left out.

"And that is why there is a Sister Code I'm not breaking," Rory smiled.

Lorelai nodded, smiling a little as well. It was good for April to have someone who wasn't Luke, Anna, or herself to talk to about things. Someone who was an adult, but not in a parental position. She made eye contact with Luke and he smiled back warmly.

Luke sat next to April on the boulder. After they'd determined there were no fish in the little lake, they'd both quieted to watch a small turtle dip into part of the lake that was furthest from the creek. April quickly spotted a few more nearby, and silently pointed them out to Luke. He decided this entire clearing was definitely his favorite spot at the Dragonfly. Eventually, April broke their comfortable silence.

"Hey, Dad, can I ask you something that might be a little... nosy and personal?"

"You can always ask," Luke replied honestly.

"So. When you told me you and Lorelai were 'back on track'… I kinda thought we'd be talking about a wedding and dresses and stuff this week. But she doesn't even have her ring back on. Rory said you guys were good, that her mom wouldn't be in this unless it was a permanent thing, and everyone here seems to be happy for you guys and hopeful about the future. But if it's permanent, what's the deal?"

"This has been bugging you, huh?"

"A little."

"By back on track, I meant back together. And we _are_ planning a future together. But we've had a lot to work out, it wasn't as simple as being together and moving full steam ahead. We both really blew it last time, and we've been sorting through why."

"The why is easy. Mom sabotaged everything."

"And why would you say that?"

"Well, first because she never told you about me. And... I hear things. Mom always assumes because my eyes are busy in a book, my ears stop working entirely. And Stars Hollow isn't exactly known for being discreet about other people's lives."

Luke sighed, "April, your mom was trying to do what was best for you."

"Gloating about you breaking up wasn't best for me. Refusing to let me hang out with Lorelai wasn't best for me. Trying to keep me from you wasn't best for me. Not ever telling me about you in the first place wasn't best for me! None of these things were in any way good for me at all!"

"You have to understand that the guy you call your dad now is a lot different from the guy your mom dated."

"And I'm sure the Anna you dated isn't the same woman I know as my mom now. But she never even gave you a chance! And if she'd met Lorelai apart from you, she probably would've ended up becoming friends with her. Or at least liking her. But she was ridiculous."

"Well, adults aren't perfect. Your mom isn't. I'm not, Lorelai's not." Luke stopped, allowing him to thik for a moment before speaking again. "Y'know... when I was a kid, I hated oral reports. I'd write out my notecards, and I'd memorize everything, and I'd get up there and I'd be so nervous, I'd completely screw it up right at the beginning. And no matter how hard I tried to fix it, I'd panic, and end up screwing up the whole thing."

April nodded, "I did that in my first play."

"So you know all about the stage-fright thing. Well, when I found out about you, I panicked. Didn't tell Lorelai for a few months. Just like those stupid oral reports, I tried to handle the stage-fright without stopping for a second to just take a breath, and I blew it. By the time I stopped to really think about things, it was too late. I think your mom might've done something similar." Luke believed what he was saying, but he still wasn't sure he'd ever be able to forgive Anna for the influence she'd had in everything that had happened over the last two years. That, however, was his burden to bear, not April's.

"Still doesn't absolve her of blame."

"Nothing about you or your mom should have affected Lorelai and me. At least not to the degree that it did. These are the things you stumble through, not the things that make you completely fall down."

"So you're saying if Mom hadn't gone all control freak on you guys, and you hadn't gone all weird on Lorelai, there were still other issues." She eyed him, "I don't buy it, Dad."

Luke sighed, sorting through his thoughts on the matter, trying to find the right response. He might've found some other reason to panic. He knew Christopher would've never stopped being an issue. Lorelai's separation between her family and her Stars Hollow life would've eventually become a problem. Those were issues that caused their first breakup that they'd never properly dealt with even back then. Beyond that, they'd both fallen into a rut of poor communication. Any number of things could've thrown a wrench into the works.

"The thing is, being around you taught me a lot about... me. Which was good for me. So, for all the crazy things that could've happened, I wound up with a pretty good outcome," he nudged her lightly and she looked up and smiled. "Lorelai and I have come a long way in the last few months. Relationships can be complicated. We're just really lucky we managed to sort things out to get to where we are now."

"Well, that's... helpful. I never wanted to bring it up, but I always worried that it wasn't just Mom, but me too."

"Never think that. We were stupid, and we've been fixing all that, and things are even better than they were before. A lot better."

"I noticed," she smirked, and Luke chuckled awkwardly, feeling the tips of his ears burn a little. "Then if things are better now, and you know you're going to be married, why not just be officially engaged?"

Luke scratched his neck and realized his brain was starting to short circuit trying to reword very personal things in ways that a young person, granted, a very book-smart teenager, but young and inexperienced nonetheless, would understand. Parenting could be tiring.

"Uh, well, if you're in your lab, and you've got… um… stuff… you're pouring into a test tube, and you know that it's going to be one thing when you're done, do you call it that before you've finished your work?"

"No. But I see your point. It's a good analogy too. You have to focus on putting all the right stuff, in the right amounts in, to get the right solution. Too much of the wrong thing, not enough of another, or the wrong ingredient altogether, and you just went from making hydrogen peroxide to sulfuric acid," April grinned.

Luke laughed, "Well, there you go."

"But you're close, right? Because I kinda got the feeling, based on your reaction at lunch, that Liz had something to do with helping you pick out a ring or something today…"

Luke sighed and just shook his head, staring out at the view.

April pushed a little more, "So you're not going to tell me if it had something to do with the ring you stole from Lorelai?"

"No. And you can commiserate with your cohort up there since I'm sure you'll compare even _more_ notes later. When there's something to tell you, you'll know."

"Okay, okay. In the meantime, you really need to relax about your kids seeing you kiss," she patted his leg and slid off the boulder, "Before? When Lorelai couldn't even come see me? And when she showed at my birthday party, and you two barely touched? _Not_ normal. Kissing your… girlfriend, future fiancée, life partner, whatever? _Completely_ normal. Now, come on, I want to find out what Rory picked for dinner. And, y'know, compare notes about stuff."

April walked back up toward Lorelai and Rory, leaving Luke mildly embarrassed and lacking a response. He really wasn't sure who was worse, April or Rory. He watched the turtles for a little longer, thinking about what he'd told April. They'd both avoided talking about Lorelai after they'd broken up; it had never occurred to him to really talk to April about it or ask how she felt. As far as he'd been concerned, she'd been unaffected. He'd blinded himself to too many things to keep himself safe back then, and was glad to finally hear April's perspective.

It bothered him that April clearly still felt a lot of anger towards Anna, though. He'd thought it would have faded by now, but there were times it seemed to be gaining in strength, rather than lessening. He wondered if raising a kid with someone you loved was this difficult. It seemed like you had a lot less angst to deal with when the parents were playing for the same team. As it was, it almost felt hypocritical to tell April to stop being bitter toward her mother when he still was.

"Hey, you down there!" Lorelai called, "Sun's gonna start setting soon, and we still need to hit Doose's if you're cooking tonight."

"I'm comin'," he called back, hopping off the rock. He walked back toward the group and found April was already back on Cletus while was posing with Lorelai for yet another photo.

The four of them headed back to the inn as the sun began its slow descent, giving the woods a glowing, ethereal quality. Luke took long looks at each of the women in his presence. Soon, Rory would be off living her life, April would be back in New Mexico and busy with school, and Lorelai would be deeply involved in this major event at the inn for which she'd already put in a fair amount of time.

For the first time since he was a kid, Luke remembered what it felt like to be immersed in the comfort and stability of family.

He couldn't wait until it was time to make it official.

He wondered if he might be able to convince Amos to expedite that ring a little.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: First, I know, I know! Luke's mom's wedding ring has been done to death! But sometimes there's a good reason ideas like that are so popular, and it was one of the tropes I willingly let myself fall into. Sorry I'm not sorry for the lack of originality. I try to make up for it in other ways. ;)_

 _Second,_ _I have long wondered how big the Dragonfly's property was, and after much thought, decided it could be as big as I wanted it to be. And so it is._

 _Finally, Chris's decision-making without regard for GG has always bothered me, and given how close she and Lorelai seemed to have gotten in season 7, it felt like an important thing for Lorelai to have to deal with. When I was working on this and laying out storylines, I had just been to the "Into the Woods" reunion with Stephen Sondheim and the original Broadway cast, thus the concept of making decisions that have far-reaching consequences beyond what you're able to see at the time was heavy on my mind._

 _If you made it this far, you've just read the longest chapter in this fic. Congrats! Twice I tried to split it in two, but it just didn't work for me. So it's just one big ol' beast of a chapter. It's fic, there are no rules about chapter length consistency! Anyway, you're also about a third of the way through, as far as chapter count goes!_

 _Oh, and if you're keeping an eye on my titles, I'll save you from Googling: H2O2 is, of course, the formula for hydrogen peroxide._


	15. Rooms Filled with Memories

**Chapter 15: Rooms Filled with Memories**

Lorelai yawned and stretched, surprised to feel Luke's warm body next to her. She glanced over to find him laying on his back, awake, and looking exceptionally content. He'd seemed relaxed, peaceful, and almost zen since their walk around the Dragonfly.

Luke lifted his hand from behind his head and pushed a stray piece of Lorelai's hair behind her ear. "Good nap?" he asked.

"Amazing. How long was I out?"

"Not even an hour. Still gonna be awhile before dinner. I turned up the temperature a little, and I'll let it braise for a little less time than I normally would. I'll do it right over the holidays when I have more time to plan for it. Not usually something I make over the summer, but since Rory requested it..."

"You couldn't say no," Lorelai smiled. She rolled over on her side, and leaned her head on her left hand, reaching over to grab Luke's right hand with her's, letting herself enjoy their quiet moment alone. "Rory and April?"

"April's visiting with some of her friends for a bit before dinner. Last I saw Rory, she was on the phone with her editor ripping apart the guy covering for her." They both chuckled over that. "How late were you guys up last night?"

"Dawn. And then she was dragging me out of bed a few hours later. I'm going to miss her when she leaves, but I'm really going to enjoy getting more than a handful of hours of sleep at night. I hesitate to say this, because I refuse to accept that age is more than just a number, but I think it's possible I may be getting old."

"Never. Your body's just finally realized it cannot exist on caffeine alone. Sleep is, occasionally, a necessity."

"Mmm, maybe." Lorelai ran her fingers down the creases of Luke's palm as she let her brain wake up. They'd had an amazing afternoon, and Lorelai had enjoyed showing off the lesser known parts of the Dragonfly's property. She was thrilled to have found something special and unique to share with April, who was hoping to take more riding lessons once she'd arrived back home. Lorelai wasn't sure how she'd fit them into her already busy schedule, but Luke promised to pay for them if April was serious about it. Either way, April was comfortable enough on a horse that she and Lorelai could go riding together during her visits.

Lorelai was particularly glad to have the day redeemed after the conversation with Rory that morning. The worst part about having wronged someone was not being able to make it up to them, and her heart ached for GG. She thought maybe she should write Chris an email, or a letter… but then… reawakening a line of communication with him at all made her uneasy, and she wasn't sure how Luke would feel about it either.

Luke noticed her hand had stopped moving, and turned it over to give hers the same treatment. "Whatcha thinkin' about?"

Lorelai sighed heavily, "I… don't really want to bring it back up after the perfect day we had…"

"Whatever it was this morning?"

"Yeah… Rory… kind of let it slip that GG? Christopher's daughter? She's been having some issues."

"The same ones you talked to him about when you babysat her that time she tried to ruin the floor?"

"No. That was a spoiled kid who's never been told no issue. This is a… kid who's never been important enough to anyone crying out for help kind of issue." She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, "I feel like every time things are really moving forward and I'm done paying for every stupid thing I've done this year, something else rises up to remind me I'm a horrible person."

"You're not a horrible person. And you're not her parent."

"I know that. But… it's like… on one end, there you were, being so careful with your situation as a new dad to not let anything in between you and your daughter. And then, on the other end, you have Chris, who has not only put Rory second to everything else in his life, but then also did the same with GG. And I let myself become a part of that."

"Lorelai…"

"Don't. I have to take some level of blame for that. On top of that, Rory and Christopher's relationship was finally what it was supposed to have been all along - their own relationship, without me. That night I slept with him put me right back in the picture again."

"You weren't doing much thinking…"

"No, I wasn't. And as a parent - even one with an adult daughter - that's not an option. No matter how many crazy things I've been through in the last twenty years, Rory was a consideration in every one of my major life decisions. Even breaking up with Max, despite the fact that she didn't understand that back then. And at a time when I should have been considering several other people, I didn't, and made a huge mess of too many lives."

Luke stayed quiet, watching her face as he continued gently stroking her hand.

"GG went from living with Chris, and having a nanny and a regular schedule, to living here. And then while dealing with that unfamiliarity, we dumped her in France with a mother she barely knows. Then she was back here, and Chris and I broke up. I know he'd been leaving her with his mother - which, if you think my mother is nuts, you should see Francine - a far cry from the life she was getting used to here. And Rory said it only got worse. Chris has been traveling more, she has multiple nannies, no schedule, gets bounced around between houses... Chris decided to send her to visit Sherry again for a few weeks this summer, and her little mind couldn't handle it anymore."

"He couldn't have just moved her back into the same life she had before you and he…?"

"Luke," she half-smiled, "Not everyone is as strong as you. He'd been trying to make us happen since we were teenagers..."

Lorelai watched realization dawn on Luke's face. It was possibly the one thing about Chris that Luke would ever be able to relate to.

"We'd just completely obliterated that one major possibility that had always been there. For me, it was easy. I knew immediately it was all wrong, but I hid behind a wall of denial, and once I started really thinking about things... he… well... Chris has always been a little too good at being an idealist. When he has had to face the uglier parts of reality… he doesn't. Or didn't. He doesn't have a choice now."

"Is the kid okay?"

"No. But she might be eventually. They're in therapy." She grabbed onto his wrist. "Luke, I jumped in and out of that relationship without ever thinking of that little girl. And I know Chris. If I'd spent five minutes thinking about any of it, I would've seen that coming. He's done it with Rory her entire life. And here I am, moving forward, having these amazing days like today… and she's living in this awful, unstable hell."

Luke reached out and wiped a few of the tears that she'd been fighting to keep from falling.

"Lorelai. Hey. She's young and she's getting help. She'll be okay."

"But she shouldn't have to go through all of this. She's another victim from Hurricane Lorelai."

"Stop. Look. How far back are you going to take this?" Luke's concerned look had an edge of anger to it now. Lorelai searched his eyes, but wasn't able to follow where he was going with his question. "Hurt for her because she's a little girl going through it. But if you're putting that much blame on yourself for your part in it, and asking yourself what should or shouldn't have happened, you can go all the way back to whoever chose to start the Gilmore family in Hartford in the first place and say if they hadn't done that, you would've never met Rory's dad."

"But…"

"No. I screwed up. You screwed up. He screwed up. We're human. You're constantly dealing with all these reminders of the ways you screwed up. Did you really think you were above making mistakes?"

"Of course not. I'm an expert at making mistakes."

"Ugh, Lorelai," he ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "If you could've seen your face just then… the second you said that, I think every mistake you made since the first grade just took up residence in your eyes. You accept that you make mistakes, and you take the blame for all of them, and every time something comes up, rather than forgive yourself for being human, it hits you like a ton of bricks. Like you should feel guilty for not being perfect."

Lorelai bit her lip in thought, taking in the reality of Luke's observations. He'd hit the nail on the head, and it was awkward to hear it spoken.

Luke continued, "You told me once that you saw yourself as Wonder Woman. You're not a superhero. I'm guilty of putting you up on that pedestal, too. And worse, I've even made you feel guilty for not being able to stay balanced up there."

He reached for her hand again, and pulled her on top of him, kissing the top of her head and holding her as she felt her way through this latest revelation. After a few minutes, she lifted her head up, looking sadly into Luke's eyes.

"I don't really know how not to be that way," she admitted.

"I think you just need to remember, that when you do mess up, it's not because you failed at being Wonder Woman. It's because you're still human."

"I can work on trying to remember that," she smiled a little. "For now, though, what do I do with this? I don't want to contact Chris to apologize for it. I doubt you want me to, either. I can't talk to a little kid about something she won't understand."

"First, I think you need to work on adding her to the list of things to forgive yourself for. After that, I think you'll have a clearer head. And I honestly don't think he'd understand why you'd be apologizing, if everything you said is true."

Lorelai nodded. Maybe someday, when GG was older, maybe at Rory's wedding or something, she could tell her she was sorry for the role she played in her chaotic start in life. For now, she'd have to trust Christopher to undo the damage they'd both caused. And trust Luke to help remind her that even superheroes weren't perfect.

Lorelai moved back over onto her side, but still kept herself pressed against Luke. She kissed him softly before speaking, "I'm sorry I'm such a mess. I don't know how you're so well adjusted."

"Lots of alone time over the past year. More than I was used to having in awhile." He ran his fingertips over her exposed hip as he thought about it. "And having to see you and him all the time… it was either move or deal with it."

"Well, I'm not sure you've completely dealt with it, but you're making good progress."

"Huh?" The hand making lazy patterns on her hip stilled.

"Luke, what's Rory's dad's name?" Lorelai watched him slowly begin to frown. "What's his daughter's name?"

"What does that-"

"I know you've been my rock throughout the past few months, but as much as I've accepted a lot of bad things happened and have been dealing with all of the fallout from it, I need you to accept that I _was_ married to Chris, and I _was_ a stepmother to GG, and, whether we like it or not, that was as much a part of my life as anything else."

"I know," Luke closed his eyes. "If it makes you feel any better, this isn't anything new. I've never liked the guy. I just liked him even less after everything."

"I don't expect you to like him. I don't even care if you refuse to be in the same room if we're ever in the same place at the same time. But there are times Chris is going to come up in conversation. And every time I mention him, I feel like it bothers you. You won't even say his name, do you realize that?"

"Yeah. It's a conscious decision. And I know it's silly. I just feel like… did you ever read those Harry Potter books that April likes?"

"He Who Shall Not Be Named?" Lorelai smirked. To compare Christopher to Voldemort might be a little extreme… but she was impressed by Luke knowing enough to make the comparison.

"Right. I feel like I'm basically summoning him back into our lives every time I hear or say his name."

"You're not. You can't. I'm with you-" She fell forward, groaning into his chest, "How many times in my life do I have to have this conversation? I am not Helen of Troy."

"What?"

"I swear to you, half my marriage to Chris was repeating this same speech about who I chose. Difference is, I was also trying to convince myself of it when I was telling him. With you… Luke, come _on_."

"You don't need to convince me. I don't need convincing. It's not that I don't know."

"Uh-huh."

"I don't have any doubts. _Any_ doubts. He - _Christopher_ \- just makes me uneasy."

"Mmm hmmm," she kept her face buried against him, still annoyed.

"Lorelai," Luke said, waiting for her to look up. " _Lorelai_. Look at me." She pulled her head away from his chest and met his frowning eyes with her own. "Do you really think I'm worried about Christopher? Still?"

"No. And that's why it's weird to me that you're so freaked out by his damn name."

"I'm never going to like Taylor, and I'm never going to like Christopher. But much like Taylor, I'll work a little harder on dealing with the fact that I can't get rid of our entire history with him. Okay?"

"Okay," she smiled a little, "Hey, and good job with the name. Progress."

"I told you I don't want our exes in bed with us," Luke grumbled.

"Ew, you're right," Lorelai slowly closed the gap between their heads, whispering, "Just us…" before kissing Luke softly. He reached up, resting his hand gently on her cheek and returning the kiss a little more fervently, moving over her as he gently rolled her onto her back.

It occurred to Lorelai that she might remind the man that had so recently been afraid to even sleep in this bed with her a few nights ago that at least one daughter was in the house, the other could be back at any minute, and she couldn't remember if the bedroom door was even shut... but she very quickly lost interest in caring about it.

* * *

Rory pushed her empty plate away and flopped backwards into her chair, dropping a hand to her full stomach. "It has been far too long since I've had pot roast, and even longer since I've had yours. Luke, you are the best. Thank you _so_ much."

Luke smiled, "You're welcome. Next time, we'll plan it in advance so you're not stuck waiting hours for dinner. Plus, it's better when it can sit a little longer."

"Ah, but it gave me time to catch up on a few things for work, start packing, _and_ squeeze in a nap, so it was worth it," Rory grinned. It had been a long day. She wished she hadn't brought up the situation with GG that morning. She hated being the reason the joyful expression she'd seen on her mother's face the last few days returned to the sad, heartbroken one she'd become all too familiar with over the last year or so. Her only consolation was that the dip in Lorelai's mood hadn't lasted.

Despite being back in contact with her father, Rory still wasn't completely comfortable talking to him after their conversation about GG. He'd left her a few voicemails before she'd finally called him back. They hadn't had too much time to talk, but it was a start.

It was far too late for him to be the father she should've had growing up, but it wasn't too late to have a better relationship with him. She hoped it would help him be a better father to GG. And maybe, eventually, he'd stop asking about her mother. Despite everything, his tone was always a little too wistful for Rory's taste. She knew he still didn't fully grasp how to be her father without her mother present in some capacity.

After breakfast, she and Lorelai had spent the morning shopping. Having seen what the more experienced female reporters had been traveling with, Rory had been on the hunt for a few new items of clothing that were comfortable, didn't wrinkle, looked professional without being too formal, and could be more easily mixed and matched.

She also needed to replace a few practical items - a new toothbrush, hair ties that always managed to disappear whether she was on the road or not, more notebooks and pens. As Rory unpacked her purchases, she'd laughed when she found a pink, fuzzy, glittery pen she hadn't remembered buying, and decided she'd use it specifically when writing on postcards for its sneaky purchaser.

After a few stores, they'd paused for a coffee and pastry break and talked about everything and nothing. Day to day stories of life in Stars Hollow, crazy antics on the press bus, the latest entertainment news and gossip, Rory's writing process, Lorelai missing Sookie at the inn a lot more this summer than with any previous maternity leave. When the cheap wooden chairs in the coffee shop started oppressing their backs rather than supporting them, they took off for a few more stores.

Eventually, they made their way back to Stars Hollow for lunch with Luke and April, and then onto the inn. The walk had been much longer than Rory had anticipated, but she really appreciated watching her mom ride, and finally get to share her love of it with someone else. And most of all, it was nice to spend more than a handful of minutes in conversation with Luke.

The two of them had always had their own special bond. In so many ways, it was Luke that had filled in the blank spots Christopher left. She'd never really given it much thought until she saw her mother's letter to the court to help Luke get custody of April. And that was the thing about a good parent, Rory had realized - if you're doing it right, it's not something a kid has to think about much when they're younger, but it's something they can really look back and appreciate when they're an adult.

Rory's relationship with Luke had started to mature around the time Jess arrived. Sometimes it seemed like they were the only two people in Stars Hollow who saw more than just a troubled, angry teenager. And more than that, they were both trying to balance their connection to him along with their connection to Lorelai, something that proved precarious considering Jess and Lorelai seemed to dislike each other intensely.

Their relationship had taken on yet another new dynamic after the past year. She'd held a fair amount of resentment toward Luke for what he'd put her mother through. It was scary to her that Luke never realized during that time what a huge hold he had on her mother. Lorelai was never one to shy away from going after what she wanted except, it turned out, for the devastating fear of losing Luke. Although school and Logan had kept Rory busy, she'd generally avoided Luke and his diner, partially due to the awkwardness, partially in fear she'd yell at him for managing to nearly destroy the strongest woman she knew.

She'd been so conflicted about the idea of her mom and Luke being together when she saw them drawing toward each other again, fearing they'd both fall into the same mistakes they had before. She'd kept these feelings to herself, though, and after everything Luke did for her with the going away party, Rory felt the old warm feelings toward Luke she'd had when she was younger coming back.

Any remaining doubts she had about her mother's future with Luke had fallen to the wayside after being able to observe them together and spend time with each of them. Rory was grateful she'd gotten a bit of alone time with Luke. She remembered how easy it had been to introduce him as her future stepfather in the past, and the idea of doing so again made her happy.

After they'd returned from walking around the Dragonfly, Rory gave into the nagging feeling she'd had since she was pulled off the campaign, and indulged her curiosity, pulling up the articles that had been written by her temporary replacement on the trail, David Chen. She found herself glaring at his name before she'd even finished half of his first article, and immediately emailed Scott with her concerns.

Scott had been surprised to hear from her while she was still another two days from rejoining the campaign, and called her to talk about her comments. Rory felt he'd been a little placating in his responses, but Chen's articles were already posted, so she understood there wasn't much to be done at this point other than discuss how they'd get things back up to par once she was back at work.

Scott sounded genuinely glad to talk to her for a bit, though, and Rory was beginning to feel more secure in her job, and her position. She was genuinely excited about being on the ground floor of a new type of journalism, in a new publication that was quickly gaining in popularity and interest.

After the phone call, Rory scrolled through a few other portions of Blast's website, curious to see what some of the newer writers were submitting, but soon felt herself re-reading the same sentence several times as she kept dozing off. Her inability to fight her closing eyelids - combined with a few questionable sounds she heard coming from the previously silent upstairs bedroom - sent Rory back into her room for a nap.

The smell of coffee had pulled her from sleep. She changed into fresh clothes and listened to the hum of quiet conversation coming from the kitchen for a few minutes - knowing her mother, Rory was paranoid about walking into a little brazen post-coital flirting. When she overheard something about April and a boat trip, she figured it was safe, and joined them in the kitchen shortly after. Noting their freshly showered appearances and lingering touches, Rory focused mostly on her coffee.

She missed having those moments with someone, and tried not to think about it. Fortunately, within the next hour, April had arrived, eagerly seeking Rory's thoughts on a variety of subjects she'd covered with her friends, her contagious energy eventually drawing Luke and Lorelai into the conversation as well. Finally, Luke announced that dinner was ready, and they all dove in as if they hadn't eaten in months.

"If this is what you call not doing pot roast right, I can't wait to see what's in store over Christmas," April mopped up the last bit of gravy on her plate with a roll, and sat back, smiling and satiated.

"Mmm, that reminds me," Lorelai stood and reached for the calendar she'd been using to keep track of Rory's journey. "Christmas dates."

"It'll be short for me, but it's better than nothing," Rory pouted a little, "Mark me down for arriving sometime on the twenty second and departing the twenty sixth."

Luke looked at his daughter. "Uh, April, technically, I mean, you're supposed to be spending Christmas here, but I really understand if you want to be with your mom. We can figure out something-"

"No! No, I'm spending Christmas here. I'll check with Mom on dates, but I think it'll be the twenty first to the twenty eighth, and then I spend New Years with Mom. That was always the plan."

Lorelai looked at Luke for confirmation. He shrugged, "Go ahead and put it down for now, I'll talk to Anna to make sure."

"Well, I think the court already made sure. She doesn't really get to have a say," April said coldly.

"Yes. But out of respect to the woman who raised you, I'd still like to check with her, especially since it would be her first Christmas without you, and I know she's not having the best time with her own mother, either." Luke thought that after their talk earlier, April would start to lighten up a little about Anna, but there was still a frighteningly dark cloud hovering over her every time her mother seemed to enter her thoughts.

April's face softened a little at the mention of her grandmother. "Yeah, fine," she sighed.

Lorelai squeezed Luke's hand and began collecting the dishes, motioning to Rory to follow suit. After depositing them in the sink, the two hastily retreated to the living room.

"April, what's going on?" Luke asked quietly.

"Nothing."

"This doesn't seem like nothing."

"Dad, I really don't want to talk about it any more today," April looked up, and for the first time since he'd met her, Luke finally saw a lot of himself in her as he took in her set jaw and stubborn expression - not a look he wanted to have passed on, but there it was.

"Not today, then," Luke hated himself a little for giving in, but he knew he wasn't going to be getting anywhere with this topic for the time being.

April nodded and looked down at the table, trying to make patterns out of the table top. Luke felt himself panic slightly at the awkward silence and suddenly wished Lorelai and Rory hadn't disappeared from the room. He picked at a cuticle for a moment before standing to make some coffee for the Gilmore women of the household.

Rory and Lorelai were sitting on the couch talking, Lorelai on the far side facing the kitchen. He moved into the doorway and attempted to give his best "I'm helpless and awkward, please save me!" expression. Lorelai looked up and frowned, not picking up on his body language. He held his hands out in front of himself and mouthed "HELP ME!" and saw her smother a laugh before nodding.

"Hey April," Lorelai called, "Come here a sec."

Luke rolled his eyes and mouthed "THANK YOU" back. He was about to turn to deal with the dishes when he saw Lorelai shake her head and gesture for him to come into the living room as well. He sighed and made eye contact with April as she stood. She looked at him questioningly, and he shrugged, following behind her.

April sat on the floor next to Paul Anka, reaching out to scratch his favorite spots. Luke gingerly sat down on one of the chairs.

"So," Lorelai began, "Was there anything you really wanted to do that you haven't done yet, April?"

"Yeah, I kinda wanted to see Dad's boat," April replied, unable to hold back a giggle as Paul Anka rolled over to offer her his belly.

"Oh, excellent!" Lorelai clapped her hands together, "We were just talking about that," she looked over at Luke, handing over the conversation.

"Uh, yeah, we were... uh, talking about that. What do you think of spending a few days at sea?" Luke asked. "Rory, I'm sorry you won't get to-"

"Ah no, no. It's fine. Not my thing. Good timing." She avoided looking in her mother's direction knowing they were both thinking of her last boating excursion, "I leave you to it. Just call me the ol' landlubber."

April's excitement easily pushed aside her grumpy demeanor, "I was really, really hoping we'd get to do that. Lorelai, you're still coming, right?" Seeing Lorelai nod, April grinned and patted Paul Anka's chest, "What about this guy?"

"Ah, I think we can take him for a day trip some time and see if he likes it, but I'm not really sure how you, uh, handle a dog on a boat... for an overnight thing... in the middle of the water," Lorelai replied, having never really given much thought to the fact that people did somehow manage to bring their dogs on their boats for days at a time. Knowing Paul Anka and his weird quirks, she really had no idea how he'd react to the idea of a boat, and didn't like the thought of subjecting him to a few days at sea without any previous experience, "I think I'll see if Babette or Sookie can take him for a few days this time."

"Sorry, buddy, I tried," April smiled, rubbing Paul Anka's chest. "When do we set sail?"

"I was thinking Wednesday night for sure. Maybe Thursday, but it's your last day here and you leave on Friday afternoon, so I wasn't sure what you wanted to do."

"Yeah, I think maybe just Wednesday night. I want to be able to say goodbye to everyone here without rushing too much, especially since I won't be back for awhile. Is that okay?"

Luke smiled and nodded, "Of course."

"Should I bring my yellow boots?" Lorelai chimed in, and Luke groaned.

"Yellow... boots?" Rory asked, "When did you get yellow boots? And... why?"

"Back when Luke was working on his dad's boat. They were in the catalogue. I thought they were cute."

"Cute? Who do you think you are, the girl on the container of salt?"

"Yes!" Lorelai bounced up, "Exactly!"

"You are wrong in the head," Rory laughed. "Seriously. You seriously bought yellow boots."

"I've barely even gotten to wear them," she pouted, "I forgot about them completely until we were clearing out Luke's apartment. I wore them once in the rain and forgot to take them home."

"Hey, what are you going to do with that space anyway, Luke?" Rory asked, "It's awfully big for an office. Seems like a waste."

"I hadn't really thought about doing anything with it. Just figured it would be... a really big office."

"You could lease it out," Lorelai suggested, "Add a few walls, make it into a few offices. I was telling Rory about the old Independence Inn renovating into offices. Seems to be a decent business."

Luke narrowed his eyes in thought, watching Paul Anka's foot move rhythmically as April's fingers hit certain spots on his belly, "I don't think I like the idea of someone else using it. Too... personal, or something. Kinda have a lot of good memories in that place." He tried to avoid making eye contact with Lorelai and failed, the two exchanging a smile. Fortunately, it went unnoticed by Rory who, he knew they'd grossed out far too many times over the course of her visit as it was.

Rory nodded, "That makes sense. I just wondered if you'd thought about it, is all."

"I hadn't until now... but... it is something to consider," Luke rubbed his chin and looked back over at Lorelai who also seemed to be running through a variety of ideas. He had thought the larger space looked ridiculous as an office, and it had been nagging at him a little, but the idea of leasing it to anyone else bothered him. Aside from his countless private moments with Lorelai, the time spent getting to know April, and even some good memories with Jess, it was the first place he'd been able to really escape the pain of losing his parents, and eventually let himself heal.

"Aw great, now I've got everyone all stuck in their heads. It was just a question. No need to find an answer tonight," Rory stood. "We need a movie."

Lorelai protested, "I didn't get provisions for a movie night. And I'm full of meat and potatoes and carrots and rolls. God, those were good rolls."

"We don't need provisions. We'll show April a decent Gilmore movie night when I'm here for Christmas. For now..." Rory browsed through the DVD collection, "Good grief, this has grown since I was last here."

"I had to replace some VHS tapes. Since there's no more VHS player, I only kept stuff I couldn't get on DVD, and I've been slowly replacing them."

"Sad," Rory frowned, continuing to look. "AH!" She pulled Grease 2 from the selection.

Luke groaned, "Not that stupid musical."

Rory gasped, "Luke, this is more than a musical. This is-"

"Ridiculous. Veto. If I have to, I'd rather watch the original."

Rory's face lit up, "Oooh, good choice! Well done, Luke!" She put Grease 2 back and grabbed the original Grease next to it, sending Luke a big grin as she watched him realize what had just happened.

Lorelai was making bowing motions in Rory's direction as April cracked up at the entire scene.

"I hate myself right now," Luke grumbled. "Do movie night rules still apply if it's not officially a movie night?" he asked, glaring at Lorelai.

"Nah, you're miserable enough as it is, hon. I'll give you a pass. Plus, it's just not the same without the popcorn and junk food."

"Okay, but there are a few things I would like to suggest for the comfort of all present." Rory announced, "Pajamas and beverages. Coffee if you're a Gilmore, and hot chocolate or tea if you're a Nardini or Danes."

"You don't have to say tea like that," Luke muttered as he walked upstairs to change.

The four soon spread out with coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. April kept her spot on the floor with the four legged member of the family. Luke joined her, sitting in front of Lorelai's spot on the couch, and next to her was Rory. After the movie, Luke and Paul Anka headed to bed, and April curled up with a book on the couch, while Lorelai helped Rory pack.

"Back here again already, huh?" Lorelai looked at Rory sadly, sitting next to her on the bed as Rory sorted through clothes.

"Nope. No moping. We got through this once, we will do it again. And again. And again."

Lorelai nodded, still looking sad, "I know. It doesn't make this any easier, though."

"Not true. You have a date to count down to. And, hey, Luke's here. And this time, you know he's actually here and there's no uncertainty about _how_ he should be here, and all that stuff. You've got a boat trip to look forward to, and your yellow boots. You've got a really cool event coming up for the inn. And, ooh, autumn is just around the corner, and you get to plan all that fall stuff..." Rory looked at her mom hopefully.

Lorelai laughed a little, "I love you for trying, but honey, it never gets easier."

Lorelai thought, once again, of Anna, and the things April had said after dinner; despite the dislike she felt toward the woman, she hurt for her. Rory hadn't started the weird pulling away thing until she was a little older, and she was grateful for that. She wished there was something more she could do there to help April forgive her mother, but... she wasn't sure she'd still forgiven April's mother for some things, herself.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow?" asked Lorelai.

"Breakfast at Luke's, of course. Then we can come back here to kick back for a little bit. John's gonna pick me up at ten, I have a meeting back at the office, and then he's taking me to the airport. What's with the frown?"

"I thought I'd be taking you to the airport."

"I know, but it doesn't work out. And I think it'll be easier for me to say goodbye here."

"Because you think we're moving."

"Well. Not tomorrow, but..."

"Not talking about this right now." Lorelai grabbed a shirt, "Is this staying or going?"

"That's my staying pile. It's going in that box over there. Mom, stop pouting."

"I'm not." Lorelai faked a smile, "See? Totally stoked my kid's leaving tomorrow and she's trying to divest me of my house."

Rory rolled her eyes and hit her with a pillow, "Focus, please. Which of these blouses work best with those sweaters and blazers?"

* * *

Luke was usually a fairly heavy sleeper, but he had a feeling, when he went to bed, that, with Rory leaving tomorrow, Lorelai might want to talk a little before she went to sleep. He woke up every so often to keep himself from falling too deeply asleep; when he finally heard Lorelai shuffling around getting ready for bed, he stretched, trying to wake himself up a little more.

He saw the bathroom light flick off, sat up a little, and shooed Paul Anka off Lorelai's side of the bed.

"Rory all packed?" he asked with a yawn.

"Yeah. Go back to sleep, you have to get up in a few hours," she answered as she crawled in bed. He knew that tone. He squinted in the darkness, noticing she was lying with her arms crossed over the blankets and staring at the ceiling. It was hard to see, but he thought she looked... angry.

"You okay?"

"No."

He'd expected at least some level of denial. He wasn't entirely sure what to do with the abrupt answer, and pushed himself up a little more, waiting for her to elaborate.

She looked over, the frown on her face deepening, "What?"

"You gonna..." he gestured with his hand for her to continue.

"What?"

"You're mad."

"No. I'm... I don't know what I am."

"What happened down there?"

Lorelai sighed, "I'm tired, Luke."

"Ohh-kay." Luke laid back down, noting to himself it would probably be unwise to touch her at this point. He kept to his side of the bed and tried to fall back to sleep. Unsuccessful, he glanced at his alarm clock. Another ten minutes had passed. He looked over to find Lorelai still staring stonily at the ceiling.

"Okay, I can't do this," he groaned as he pushed himself up on his elbow.

"Luke, go to sleep."

"I can't!"

"Well, then let me sleep."

"You're not! So I can't! Your silence is too loud! Why are you laughing?"

Lorelai stared at him, snickering over his reaction, "My silence is too loud?"

"Ugh," he fell backwards onto his pillow and flung his forearm over his eyes. "Lorelai, please just talk so we can both sleep."

She sighed and sat up, tugging at his arm. He relaxed it a little, letting her pull it into her lap. Progress. He opened his eyes and looked over.

"Are we moving?"

Luke blinked a few times and tried to focus on Lorelai's face, but the room was a little too dark.

"Where?" he asked, confused.

"I don't know. Are we?"

"Uh, I just moved. Why would we be moving again?" He squinted one more time, then switched on the lamp on his nightstand, moving to sit facing her, criss-crossing his legs in front of him.

"What are you doing?"

"Lorelai, maybe my brain's still foggy from sleep, but I'm gonna need you to fill in some blanks here."

Lorelai sighed one more time, mirroring Luke's position so they were facing each other. "Rory has brought this up, like, multiple times now."

"Moving?"

"Yeah. Why would she do that?"

Luke ran his hand through his hair a few times, frowning, "I don't know why. I don't want to move right now. But it's bothering you that she's bringing it up?"

"Yes. Because she's right."

Luke stared, still completely confused. He really didn't want to make her more upset, but he didn't want to keep going in circles, either.

"Lorelai, I love you, and I am listening, but I really... am not following here."

"My parents have mentioned it to us at dinner a few times. Rory's brought it up a few times. We got into another argument about it after we finished packing. This house is too small."

"It's not right now. The four of us - five including the dog - fit here fine." He frowned, then cocked his head curiously, "Or are you saying-"

"No! No. The only buns in this oven are the ones we had with dinner. But..." she wrapped her arms around her middle, tightening them around herself as she sorted through her thoughts. Luke waited patiently.

Lorelai continued, "Okay, if we have a kid, that's... we're fine for a few months, right? We've got room in here for a bassinet or whatever. And then, after awhile, where does it go? And Rory and April, they were both here this time, and it looks like they're both going to be here over Christmas. So let's say almost every visit involves both of them overlapping. The table only fits four and there's only a little room for a bigger table in there. And you mentioned something about two kids, which I'm not even sure is possible, but if for some reason we do have two? And then what about holidays? If we want to have people over, that's, um..." she paused, frowning as she tried to count.

Luke's eyes had gone from barely open to completely bugged out within a matter of seconds. He forgot what a terrifying place Lorelai's mind could be when she was in panic mode.

He reached across the bed, laying his hand on her leg, "Lorelai. You're not even pregnant, and if, for some reason, condoms _and_ birth control pills aren't enough to stop a kid from happening, then we'll figure that out. Right now, most of the time, it's just me and you here, and there's more than enough room. Why are you freaking out?"

"Because, it's not going to happen right now, but it's going to, isn't it? Isn't moving inevitable? If my parents had bought us that house, and we hadn't broken up, would we even still be in this house?"

"I don't know, I'm still not sure how I feel about your parents buying us a house in the first place."

"Luke..." she gave him a pained look.

"Lorelai, just... breathe for a second."

She closed her eyes and sighed, then took a deep, shuddering breath. When she opened them, Luke noticed they were rapidly filling with unshed tears.

"It has to happen eventually, doesn't it?" Lorelai asked, her voice wavering.

He really hadn't thought much about moving. He was still trying to figure out the car situation. The living situation seemed fine.

"Luke?" she was searching his face for an answer. And it was one he genuinely didn't have.

"I really don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. You want to know where my mind is right now?"

She nodded, and he held her hands as he spoke.

"Cars. We couldn't go anywhere the last few days without splitting us all up into separate vehicles. I don't want that when they're here over the holidays because we're probably going to be doing a bunch of family stuff on both your side _and_ my side that's going to involve driving. And I want us to all be in the same car. So, next week, I was planning to talk to you about what we should do about that."

"You're very practical."

"Well," he shrugged, "Did Rory not like having to share a room?"

"No, actually, she's really enjoyed being able to spend a lot of time with April, and was glad she could give April a bit of room to make her own space."

"And April's said the same. She really looks up to Rory a lot, and she really appreciated Rory making the extra effort to make room for her and include her in things. I don't think their sleeping situation is a problem, then, do you?"

"No. But, Luke, I'm not talking about right now or even in a few months. Assuming we're married within the next, uh, year-" she paused, "That's not... outside the realm of possibility?"

"No, that ... sounds... about... right." He swallowed, suddenly paranoid that Rory or April had mentioned something, but she gave no indication, so he let it pass.

"Okay, so if we get married, whenever, sometime soon... to be honest, depending on where you and I are with things, I don't think I want to wait that much longer to try for a kid after that. Which means we're running into the space issue."

Luke sighed. No amount of logic was working, and he really wanted to make sure they'd both slept enough before tomorrow. He had a big day ahead of him to prepare for their boating trip, and he knew Lorelai was going to be slammed once she got to the inn and realized she was taking the rest of the week off without being able to check in. He racked his brain for the best way to pull her out of her over-stimulated mind.

"If I remember the blueprints correctly, the house should be able to support a full second floor. If we absolutely need to, we can expand. It's not going to be easy, and it'll be quite a bit more intrusive than just renovating the bedroom. We could probably move back into my apartment for a few months while that happens, otherwise we'd probably want to just get a six month lease somewhere and rent. So if you need an answer, no, we don't need to move. If you really want to stay here, we can do that, and make room for everyone."

"It would make more sense to move."

"I don't necessarily agree. If you think you'd be happiest here, it makes morse sense to stay and renovate."

Lorelai shut her eyes as a few tears dropped. Luke was completely lost. He went back over his words, making sure he hadn't said something stupid or misspoken. Failing to figure out what he possibly could have said to bring her to this point, he decided he that nothing he could say was going to help.

"C'mere," he said as he tugged at her hands. Lorelai shook her head, blinked a few times to clear her eyes, and reached past him to shut his light off. As he blinked his eyes rapidly to adjust to the sudden darkness, he felt her lay back down. Still trying to sort out what he should do next as his eyes readjusted to the dark, Luke reached out a hand to see what position Lorelai had ended up in. Brushing her back lightly, he realized she was facing away from him on her side.

Luke sighed heavily and laid down as well, spooning up behind her. Slowly and cautiously, he rested his hand on her hip. Immediately, she pushed back closely against him and pulled his arm tightly around her. Not at all the reaction he'd expected. It had been years since she'd managed to confuse and baffle him to such a degree without so much as an argument.

He kissed the back of her neck and moved over toward her ear, "I need to know what that was about before you nod off, otherwise I'm not going to be able to sleep."

"Rory's right. I'm just trying to deal with that."

"Lorelai, you don't need to worry about it tonight."

"But the seed's been planted. It's going to be hard, Luke. The potting shed Rory grew up in is gone. And she's practically gone. This house is my only tie to everything that's been important to me for the last twenty two years. And I know it's time to be thinking more about the next twenty years. It's just... hard."

He was facing similar, though far less overwhelming feelings about his old apartment above the diner. This went farther than the progressive evolution of things Rory had talked about. This was genuine change. And change was hard.

Luke didn't know what to say, so he kissed Lorelai's cheek softly and pulled her tight against him.

Eventually, exhaustion won out over thinking and they slept.


	16. Goodbyes and Hellos

**Chapter 16: Goodbyes and Hellos**

Lorelai held onto Luke's arm tightly as she heard his alarm go off, not wanting him to move. She was comfortable, but more than that, the tumultuous feelings from the previous night were still present, and Luke was her safe haven. She was incredibly grateful for the way he'd responded last night. She was panicking and he was just... there. It reminded her a little of how things were after Rory had dropped out of Yale. He clearly had no idea what to say to make her feel better, and nothing would have, but he was there.

"Mmmf, have to move to turn off alarm clock," she heard him say against the back of her head.

She sighed and let go of his arm as he rolled back over to his side of the bed to stop the incessant beeping. Ever the caring partner these days, Luke rolled back over into the same position he'd moved from. Knowing what was ahead, Lorelai was was desperate to stay in bed, wrapped in her Luke cocoon as long as possible.

She pulled the arm wrapped around her waist up, bringing his hand to her face, kissing it, and holding it there.

"Can't stay like this too much longer," Luke warned.

"I know. I just hate today already. And I'll have to do this again at Christmas, and then a million more times." Lorelai said against his hand. She glanced up to take a look at her own alarm clock and sighed again, kissing his hand one more time before releasing his arm, knowing he had a long, busy day ahead of him.

Luke pulled away and sat up to stretch. "I'd stay if I could," he started as he got out of bed, "But I need to make sure everything's set at the diner so I can take the rest of the week off. And I need to call Anna, let her know what's going on in case she can't get ahold of April while we're gone, because I really don't trust April right now to tell her mother anything."

Lorelai rolled over and sat up, glad to have a distraction from her own dreary thoughts, "She's kind of all over the place, isn't she."

"Yeah. We'll have a good talk about stuff. I'll feel good, like maybe I said something to make her think. And then she'll hit me with something like that comment last night. I know things have been weird between her and Anna, but I didn't realize it was this bad." Luke started the shower and walked back into the bedroom. "Lorelai, go back to sleep, there's no need for you to be up yet."

She pouted at him, but laid back down. She was tired, and knew it wouldn't take more than a few seconds to fall back to sleep. As she began pulling up the covers again, she felt the bed sink down and she looked over at Luke sitting next to her.

"Real quick before you nod off again - what time are you planning on heading in so I can make sure you have a table?"

"Um, around eight, I think. Gives Rory time to eat and say goodbye to you and April. Her driver's picking her up here at ten. I'd like to stay home and sulk, but I have to get to work and make sure Michel's ready for his first real gig as a manager, which scares the hell out of me even though it was supposed to happen this summer anyway. And I want to check with Sookie and see if she can randomly show up at the inn for one reason or another to spy on him," she yawned.

"Good idea," Luke chuckled, "Just warn Manny first."

Lorelai nodded and smiled sleepily, "No kidding. Go get your shower, I'll see you in a few hours."

Luke leaned over and kissed the top of her head as she burrowed under the blankets, then turned to head back to the bathroom to get in the shower and finish getting ready. His mind was focused on the shopping list he needed to tackle before they could leave on Wednesday morning. It was days like these that he really missed having Lane as an employee. While his newer staff was great, nothing ran as smoothly as when Lane had worked there.

He sat on the bed to tie his shoes, listening to Lorelai's breathing behind him. He hoped she could shake the whole idea about having to move. He understood why it might be on Rory's mind - she was going to be far from home for awhile - but he didn't get why Lorelai felt the need to dwell on it. He really wanted to discuss it more so he could figure out where she was coming from when she wasn't freaking out, but wasn't sure they'd have much of a chance until after April left on Friday. He hoped the boat trip would provide a decent distraction for her, at least. He was getting excited to finally show it off.

Baseball hat securely on his head, Luke paused at the foot of the bed to get one last glimpse of Lorelai before he turned to leave.

"Hey Luke?" came the sleepy voice from the bed.

"Yeah?"

Lorelai peeked up from behind the comforter, sleepy blue eyes meeting his, "I love you. Thanks for last night. For everything."

He smiled back, "I love you too. That's what I'm here for."

* * *

"Rory, your dad is a jerk," April announced as she flopped onto Rory's bed.

"Yeah. He's trying to not be now, at least," Rory shrugged. She and April had woken up early, both too antsy to sleep. April was excited to see her best friend from middle school at lunch, and Rory was a mess of emotions - excited to get back to work, but aching inside at leaving Stars Hollow.

She'd found April's dead phone under her luggage and handed it to her. April had grimaced at it, and thrown it in her backpack without caring to plug it in. She'd explained to Rory that she wanted to enjoy the rest of her trip without having to think or worry about how things would be with her mom when she got home, and by not being able to see her texts, she could avoid that - even if it meant not being able to text Jamie.

Rory had shared her most recent issue with her dad, understanding the need for avoidance, and the tale had turned into a litany of all the ways Christopher had failed to show up, failed to care, or had the wrong motivation for showing up or caring over the years. It had seemed to make April feel a little better, if nothing else.

"My mom's not a jerk. She's been one a lot over the past year or so, but as a whole, she's not." April sighed, "Does that make sense?"

"Sure it does. I've done some pretty jerky things in my life. But I don't think i'm a jerk. I hope I'm not a jerk."

"I've kind of been a little jerky to my mom," April confessed, "And you and I _aren't_ jerks."

"You know, I talked to your mom once," Rory admitted. "I don't think your dad knows, so don't say anything."

April seemed delighted by the secret, "No way. Was I there?"

"I don't think so. I was annoyed because my mom was being so obnoxiously compliant about standing back and not pushing your dad to see you or meet your mom. I tried to get her to go with me to stop by your mom's store, but she wouldn't."

"And you did anyway?" April's eyes widened.

"I totally did. And she was really nice to me and the other customer that was there. I bought one of the bags she was selling at the time for my mom, but my mom ended up pissed at me for going at all."

"You know my mom has this annoying - yet impressive - photographic memory... I bet you'll look familiar to her when she sees my photos from the trip."

"Oh, now, but see, I'm not worried about that at all," Rory smirked, "Because you'd actually have to sit and and talk to her in order for her to see them."

April rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. But seriously, if she asks, what do you want me to tell her?"

Rory shrugged, "Tell her the truth. At this point, it doesn't really matter. And, hey, it makes my mom look good for refusing to join her evil daughter as a spy, right?"

"Sure," April laughed at Rory's logic, "Man, I'm going to miss you so much, Rory."

"No!" She threw a pillow at April, "No goodbyes yet, I can't handle them until it's actually time. But I'm really glad our trips overlapped."

"Me too. And will again at Christmas."

"You really don't want to spend Christmas with your mom?" Rory frowned, "I mean, you might remember I spent last Christmas with my boyfriend... and it was fun, but it... really wasn't the same. And my mom and I have all these traditions... and it was _really_ sad trying to do them after Christmas."

"I remember that. I thought that was so cool, though. But it's not just seeing my dad, and getting away from my mom for a little bit that appeals to me. New Mexico is cool and all, but when I think of Christmas, I think of all the Christmases I spent here in Connecticut as a kid. With my mom and my Uncle Rex, and this crazy group of friends she's collected that are kinda my family too. Sorta like how it is in Stars Hollow, but they're not people we saw every day, and it was special. I miss all of that," April explained.

"Did you talk to your mom about it?"

"No... I know moving to New Mexico was hard on her. The timing of my science project was really bad for my dad, but it was bad for my mom, too, considering everything that was going on with my grandmother at the time, and it's gotten worse since then. And... we just... don't really talk anymore. It's weird between us now."

Rory pursed her lips. She understood better than April realized. Communication with her own mom had suffered its silent periods, and gone up and down over the years. It was good now. She foresaw a continuing upward trend. But it had taken effort on both their parts to keep pushing forward.

"You mind if I speak... frankly?" Rory asked.

"I appreciate frank speech," April smiled. Sensing Rory's hesitation, she added, "Bring it. I can handle it."

Rory bit her bottom lip for a second, "Okay. The thing is... I know you blame her for a lot. And she did bring that on herself. But, what are you waiting for? Nothing can change what happened."

April answered slowly, "I don't really know..."

"Then... that's something to think about while you're at sea, I guess." Rory smiled, standing and pulling a bag out of her side of the closet, "I got you something that may help with that."

She handed April a small journal, its outsides resembling brown paper, waiting to be drawn on. "I know you'd rather read than write, but sometimes getting your thoughts out on paper can help."

Rory handed her a pack of nice pens, "These are my favorite pens, they glide nicely, but don't smudge. And when you want to doodle, it's fun to go for the cover." The last items out of the bag were a pack of thin Sharpies and ten pack of colored markers. "The important thing to remember is that journals don't judge. And if you're afraid of someone reading something you wrote, and you know it's not something you need to read again, but just needed to get out of your head, rip the page out and shred it. Saved me from saying dumb things many times."

April launched herself at Rory, "This is... so perfect... you have no idea."

Rory hugged her back, "Yeah, I do," she gestured to the tattered journal sitting in her unzipped luggage and April smiled.

"Awww, hey, did you tell her the no goodbyes yet rule?" Lorelai said from the doorway.

"Oh yes, that was just a thank you hug," Rory kneeled down to zip up her luggage. "Weird to be leaving lighter than I arrived."

"Not for my lack of trying," Lorelai frowned at the luggage, hating the reminder that Rory's stay was coming to an end so quickly. As soon as Rory stood, though, Lorelai's face switched back into the happy, supportive mask she'd worn for Rory last time. She looked over and caught April's sympathetic gaze, and smiled a little more genuinely. She really hadn't expected April and Rory to bond the way they had. Both were friendly and easy to get along with, but Rory was so often awkward around kids and teenagers.

The three made their way over to the diner, normally a short walk, but the town knew Rory was leaving again, and several people stopped to chat and say goodbye. Lorelai realized this was what the day before Rory's initial departure would have been like if not for Luke throwing the going away party, and felt grateful all over again for everything he'd done.

While Rory and April stood outside the diner talking to Andrew, Lorelai slowly backed away and sneaked into Luke's. He was nearing the end of the breakfast rush, clearing tables, and talking to two of his employees. Reverend Skinner raised a hand in greeting, and she smiled at him as she headed toward the counter. Luke looked up as she approached, and she heard him excuse himself as he walked over to her.

"Hey," he said, grabbing an empty mug and filling it with coffee. He slid it onto the counter next to the register, and walked over to stand next to her. "How're you doing?"

She sat down and took a long sip before replying. "Good. I'm good. And working really hard on staying-"

"Staying that way. Got it. Moving on." He squeezed her hand.

Lorelai nodded gratefully, "How's it been this morning?"

"Well, a little mixed. I had Rob and Aimee over there do most of the breakfast rush, which went terribly at first, but we worked through it, and things improved pretty quickly, so I was just pointing out that now's the time I try to squeeze in some of the paperwork so I don't wind up slammed at the end of the day. Feeling pretty good about things. We'll see how the rest of the day goes, though. You guys get a late start?"

"No, early, actually. But you know, Miss Town Sweetheart... everyone has to stop to chat."

Luke smirked as he watched Rory and April turn from Andrew, take two steps toward the diner, only to be stopped by Mrs. Cassini.

"Nice shadow she's got there," he nodded to Rory and April.

"Yeah," Lorelai smiled, watching as Rory hugged Mrs. Cassini, and quickly shoved April toward the diner. Rory made eye contact with Lorelai and widened her eyes expressing her mild annoyance with the endless parade of goodbyes. She looked happy, though, Lorelai thought, despite the excessive attention.

April pushed open the door and surveyed the tables, choosing her favorite one by the window as Rory approached the counter. Rory dramatically threw a hand on Luke's shoulder.

"Jack and tomato omelette, hash browns, half bacon, half sausage, please Luke?"

"Ah, yeah, coming up." He bent down to leave a kiss on Lorelai's forehead, "You?"

"Same," she smiled and followed Luke over to the table April was sitting at, sliding into one of the chairs.

Luke took April's order and walked over to grab coffee for April and Rory.

"She _does_!" April gasped to Rory.

"I told you."

"She does what?" Lorelai asked, turning her head back to the girls. She felt very much like she had at times when Lane and Rory were younger, when she went from being "best friend" to "parent" and started feeling a little like an outsider.

Luke placed their mugs in front of them and walked back to the kitchen.

"And _again_!" April laughed.

"The thing is," Rory said over her mug, "She's been doing it for years, so I don't know if it's even a conscious decision at this point."

"Not to be a narcissist, because I'm sure you could be talking about Aimee over there taking Patty's order, but what exactly am I doing?"

April deferred to Rory who gave Lorelai a knowing look.

"What? What did I do?"

Patty laughed as Aimee walked away, "Lorelai, honey, it's what we all do. Rory, April, it's not nice to call people out on that."

"You watch Luke's butt as he walks away," Rory accused.

"I did no such thing. You can barely see it under his flannel anyway."

"See, I realized, after I caught you in full ogling mode at the Dragonfly the other day, this is nothing new. I thought, all these years, you were just watching him walk away, making sure he was really doing whatever thing you tricked him into doing, or making sure he was putting our orders in. The shame!"

"That's so not true!" Lorelai objected.

Rory raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms.

"No way. Not even." Lorelai stopped to think, "Okay, not _entirely_ true."

"Ha!"

"Not until after we started dating did looking at Luke change from... looking at Luke to... gazing at or otherwise ogling Luke." She took in Rory's dubious expression, "Completely the truth. There was enough between us, that if I'd done that, it would've been all over. Except for that time Sookie kept talking about fondling his butt when he was checking out the stove at the Independence Inn. But that was prompted."

Luke returned with their breakfast orders, rolling his eyes, "The real reason for the flannel. To keep the women in this town from going insane." He shot a glare at Patty, who beamed at him proudly.

"Honey, it's my _profession_ to support the arts! In all its forms!"

* * *

"Leaving sucks," Rory moped, leaning heavily against Lorelai as they walked back to the house from Luke's. Rory had said her goodbyes to Luke and April at the diner. She'd tried not to laugh as she said goodbye to Luke, who looked like he was expecting her to corner him one last time about the ring.

Rory took in all the sights and smells of Stars Hollow. By the time she was back again, it would be winter. She hoped she'd get to see a little bit of fall somewhere in her travels; it was one of her favorite things about growing up in Stars Hollow. She looked at her front yard as they approached the house, taking an extra moment to appreciate the greenery and flowers.

"Hey, Mom? What do you think Luke meant? When I was leaving, he said not to worry, you guys aren't going anywhere."

Lorelai chuckled softly to herself, "Oh, Luke." She squeezed Rory, "I had a bit of a meltdown last night."

"A meltdown? Mom..." Rory turned to face her at the foot of the steps to the porch.

"It's okay. I mean, it's not okay. It's fine right now," she bit her bottom lip as she thought about how to word it properly without starting an argument, "I told him you brought up us... moving."

"And the meltdown was because of that? When did you have time?" Rory looked concerned.

"After you went to bed."

"Oh, Mom."

"Look, Rory. I don't want either of us worrying about that."

"I get that. I wasn't trying to rush you. It's just... me trying to come to terms with the fact that there are eventually going to be some pretty big changes, and I'm probably not going to be around for it. I didn't mean to upset you."

"There don't have to be changes," Lorelai frowned, staring at the spot on the porch steps they'd sat on just the other night.

"Yeah, actually, there do have to be a few changes. Kids grow up, they get married, they move out, and have their own families." Rory smiled, "And while you do that, this kid grows up and sees all the things she talked about seeing since she was five. And some places she didn't. Like Jerr's Diner in Wyoming."

"I don't want to do all of that without you. And even Luke said we could add onto this house. I guess he studied the blueprints pretty thoroughly when we did the bedroom. And that's assuming a lot of things. We're not even engaged, we're not even sure we can have kids..."

"Mom. When it's time to decide, do what's right. But don't hold onto this place just because of the past."

Lorelai nodded. "I can at least keep the jeep, right?"

"What?"

"Luke wasn't even ready to think about moving or not moving or the house at all. He's stuck on cars."

"Cars?" Rory echoed, not following.

"Well, currently, the four of us don't fit in one vehicle without sacrificing trunk space, and Luke's got these visions of sugarplums dancing in his head for Christmas. The four of us in one car and presents in the trunk, singing carols as we visit family."

"I always said he was a softy," Rory smirked. "But wow. So he wants to sell one of yours?"

"I don't know. I think that's what he's conflicted about. But I love my jeep. We just replaced the engine. His truck is really helpful, and you know, we may have to run around with a mattress in the back again when April goes to college in a few years." They both laughed at that. "I think we should just get a third car."

"The family car. Oooh," Rory teased, "Minivan?"

Lorelai smacked Rory's arm, "Well, I'll let you know what we decide. No minivan, though. Ever. Even if we have triplets. We'll... get a limo."

Rory snorted.

The two moved to the porch and sat on the sofa on the patio as they continued talking. Despite their banter, Rory sensed her mother was still uneasy about the housing discussion, so she steered conversation back toward her tentative schedule over the next week, and how much they'd be able to squeeze into the few days Rory would be home for Christmas.

Rory's phone buzzed, and she felt her heart rate increase as she heard her driver's voice on the other end. She was excited but sad as she looked at Lorelai and announced a fifteen minute warning. John was at a nearby gas station and was due to arrive shortly. She watched her mother's eyes stare and then rapidly blink, focusing on one of the posts that made up the porch railing. She recalled what Lorelai had said the other night about it never getting easier, and she could feel the emotion coming off her mother in waves, regardless of her efforts to hold it back.

Fifteen minutes went by too quickly. Paul Anka woofed quietly as the large, black sedan pulled up the driveway.

Lorelai sighed and stood, "I know exactly how you feel, bud."

"Hello ladies! Have a nice trip, Rory?" John smiled as he exited the car.

"I did, thanks!" Rory smiled, and turned to find her mother behind her, white knuckling the handle of her suitcase. "Hey, John will get it," she said softly.

Lorelai nodded slowly and gave John a tight smile as he retrieved the luggage. She looked as though she was no longer sure what to do with her hand without the luggage there. Rory reached for her, then, and they held each other tightly, "I'll be back soon," Rory whispered, "And you can count down the days till I'm home again starting now."

"Yep. Keep... being you, okay? Call me often. Text me when you can't. I'm getting better at it."

"And you send me a ton of pics of the minivan."

"I love you, kid."

"Love you too, Mom. I'll have John honk as we pull away."

Lorelai chuckled softly, recalling the last time Rory had left the house with a driver after the first breakup with Luke, relieved circumstances were quite a bit different this time.

Almost as quickly as she'd arrived, Rory was gone again.

Arms folded tightly in front of her chest, Lorelai watched the black car as it pulled out and drove away. She raised her hand in one last half-hearted wave.

True to her word, Rory had John honk as he drove off.

She let out the breath she'd been holding and leaned on the porch rail. When Rory had first left for her new job, Lorelai had walked in a haze from the airport back to the jeep, and was leaking tears before she'd even shut the car door. She'd leaned her arms on the steering wheel and cried into them for awhile, eventually getting her wits about her enough to drive home. She'd lost it again when she got home, burying her face in Paul Anka's fur, and later, Luke's shoulder when he'd stopped by to check on her and drop off food. Eventually, she'd run out of both tears and energy, and bored with all the methods she'd been using to distract herself all day, went to bed a little earlier than usual.

When Lorelai felt she could stand without the porch rail to keep her upright, she walked back inside and flopped on the couch. The lack of sleep and emotional overload had left her exhausted. She was quickly joined by her canine companion once again as he leapt between her feet. Paul Anka carefully watched her until he could be sure she wasn't going to fall apart this time, then rested his head on her leg, occasionally glancing up to check on her as she napped.

Lorelai was awakened by the ringing of her cell phone an hour later. Luke had called to make sure she was okay, and to see if she needed anything. She answered both questions honestly - in the negative - she felt awful, but it was enough that he'd called. As much as she relished the idea of catching up on sleep and escaping another sad goodbye, she knew she had a trip to prepare for.

Pushing Rory from her mind, she let Paul Anka out one last time before heading to the inn, making a to-do list to keep her mind occupied as she drove.

* * *

Rory sifted through the manila envelope Hugo had given her on her way out of the office, and found her newest itinerary. She was excited to be joining the tour in Seattle. They would be spending a few days there, during which she'd have a little bit of down time as she and David Chen overlapped a little before he headed back. Hugo and Scott had decided that it made sense for them to both stay for this stop and let David properly wrap up the last bit of his brief stint on the tour. Hugo had also increased their press tour budget and added a freelance photographer. The photographer would be working closely with Rory, and she was looking forward to the experience.

She started making her own timeline for each of the days she'd be there, making sure to squeeze in a few stops at various coffee shops, especially the original Starbucks. She decided this was definitely the Lorelai Gilmore inspired stop of the tour; her mother would be receiving a pretty large box of souvenirs before she left, mostly containing coffee beans and various coffee-related memorabilia.

Rory reached into the manila envelope again, looking through the rest of its contents. She found her photographer's resume and skimmed through it. He was only a little older than her, but his work experience in his field was impressive. Miles Evenson, a twenty-six year old from Kansas City who'd already worked all over the world, his experience varying from some small publications she'd never heard of, to large newspapers under the Huntzberger conglomerate. She wondered why he'd wound up picking up a short-term contract with Blast.

Rory shifted in her seat, trying to get comfortable enough to doze off. It was a long, straight flight and she hadn't been able to sleep much. She still wanted to do a little exploring and grab dinner before settling into her hotel room for the night.

She managed to sleep for a few hours, but soon found herself getting a little antsy, and reached down for her notebook. She also grabbed printouts of David Chen's articles and the draft of his most recent unpublished story. She began to take notes, updating herself on what Blast had been focusing on recently compared to what she'd been reading and watching elsewhere.

Several pages of notes later, the flight attendant announced their final descent, and Rory began clearing up her makeshift workspace. After landing, she made her way to baggage claim, found the driver with the "Rory Gilmore" sign, and was soon settled in the back seat of a car as the driver took off to her hotel. As she watched the city fly by, she reached down to grab her phone, chuckling as she read through several texts.

Paris: _WHEN ARE YOU IN BOSTON? TALKED TO BARACK YET? NEW APARTMENT HAS GUEST BEDROOM. VISIT ME AFTER YOU GET B.O. ELECTED. DOYLE SAYS HI._

April: _Packed for boat trip. First 3 pgs of journal = done! Thx & M.Y.A.! _

Mom: _Packed and ready 2 go to boat. Do u think he'll make me gut a fish? Txt when u arrive pls._

She decided to reply to her mother first, let her know she'd arrived in Seattle safely and was en route to her hotel. After arriving and checking in, she almost ran head first into the man standing behind her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there!"

He laughed, "No, it's fine, I was hovering too close. Did I hear you say your name was Rory Gilmore?"

She blinked, letting her eyes take inventory, trying to identify the man: Definitely around her age, tall, lightly tanned skin, green eyes, brown wavy hair worn a little long and shaggy. A pair of chucks, well-worn jeans and a nondescript navy hoodie over a plain dark grey t-shirt. An olive green messenger bag was slung across his body.

She was pretty sure she hadn't seen him before. He didn't look familiar, but other than looking a little disheveled, he seemed harmless.

She nodded, "Yes, I'm Rory Gilmore."

"Great to meet you! I'm Miles Evenson. It looks like we'll be collaborating on some things over the next few months."

* * *

"I can't fit the boots," Lorelai pouted.

Luke, not wanting to bring on excessive luggage, had limited both Lorelai and April to one medium sized bag each.

"Wear the boots and pack a smaller shoe?" he suggested, zipping closed his smaller duffle bag, and tossing it to the floor.

"I don't want to wear the boots _to_ the boat, I want to wear them _on_ the boat. Will I always be limited to this luggage size?"

"When it's a longer trip, you can bring a bigger bag, as needed," Luke replied matter-of-factly.

"Then, boots will wait for another trip. Sorry, boots. You've been waiting for so long, I know," Lorelai caressed them as she moved them back into the closet.

Luke sighed, "Grab the boots."

"No, they'll understand. We'll have to talk more about it, but they'll forgive you eventually."

"Lorelai, just grab the boots."

"There's no room."

Luke groaned and walked over to the closet, retrieving the boots and muttering as he put them next to his bag. He looked over at Lorelai who was grinning.

"Stop gloating."

"I'm not. I'm just really happy I don't have to unpack the shirt I brought to match."

Luke shook his head, grabbed his bag and the yellow boots, and went downstairs to check on April's progress. He glanced at the clock as he walked past the living room, and cringed seeing it was past ten o'clock already.

He'd left the diner early with Cesar and John's assurances that they had everything under control. It turned out to be a good thing as Doose's didn't have half the things he needed to pick up, and he'd needed to drive out to the larger chain grocery store near Liz and TJ's house for the rest of his shopping list. He and April had split up, each taking charge of half the list to expedite the task, which had helped considerably.

He paused a few feet from the doorway, a corner of his mouth turning up into a smile as he watched the scene in Rory's room. April was dancing around as she finished packing, bouncing along to the music. Luke took a few steps back, not wanting to embarrass her, and cleared his throat as he walked past her room into the kitchen, noisily double-checking that the food items were ready to go, and the containers in the refrigerator were still grouped together to be temporarily relocated to his cooler for the drive to Bridgeport. After he felt he'd given April sufficient boogie time, he walked back to the doorway to find her sliding a notebook, markers, and pens into her backpack.

"Art project?" he asked.

"Nah, Rory's gift to me. It's stuff for journaling."

Luke nodded, remembering Liz's diary. Unlike most siblings, he'd never been tempted to actually read it, but had enjoyed occasionally teasing her by implying he had, occasionally making a correct guess as to its contents. He wasn't sure he'd ever actually admitted she'd confirmed far more than he'd ever wanted to know. He hoped April's journaling turned out more like her step-sister at that age than her aunt.

"Very Rory. You packed?"

"Al... most... there," she said as she shoved another CD case into her backpack and zipped it up. "Done." He grabbed her backpack and luggage and put it next to the boots and his duffle bag. "Lorelai finished yet?"

Luke nodded. "Unless she's unpacked again. Which is possible."

"Well, packing for two days is harder than packing for, like, ten, especially when you've been given a significant space restriction."

"How does that even-"

"Men," April sighed.

Luke cocked his head and laughed as April ran upstairs.

He sat on the couch, took his hat off, and ran his fingers through his hair as he finally let himself relax. The late night and long day were finally starting to hit him, and he figured it couldn't hurt if he shut his eyes for a few minutes. He was already half asleep before he'd fully laid down, and was quietly snoring within minutes.

"Dad?" Luke opened his eyes to see a six year old Rory standing in front of him in her pajamas.

"Rory? Why are you-"

"Rory? Rory's in Turkey, Daddy."

He stared, confused.

"Were you dreaming? Okay, I'm here, mom's upstairs with the baby, Rory's still in Turkey, and April's at Harvard."

"The baby?"

"I know, I know. He'll get mad if he hears I called him a baby again, so don't tell him I said that. Are you gonna wake up now so we can go on the boat?"

"Yeah, sure, let me go find your, uh, mom, though."

Luke stood, shoving the heel of his hands into his eyes hard and rubbing, trying to make sense of the scene before him. He looked around and recognized the Twickham house. He slowly walked around, noting they'd changed so much of it to look like Lorelai's house - eclectic, warm, and homey - exactly as he'd imagined when he'd first bought it.

He headed toward the stairs, looking at the photos lining the wall. Rory graduating from Yale, holding a baby he somehow knew was the same six year old he'd just talked to. April graduating from high school, standing next to a slightly older little girl and a baby boy. All six of them together with Richard and Emily, dressed up at Christmas. As he looked at each photo, the memories of each captured moment came to life in his head. He was trying hard to do the math, to place how long ago the photos were taken, but the numbers kept getting jumbled in his head.

Luke focused ahead of him, walking up the stairs, and down the hall into the bedroom he somehow knew was his son's. He found Lorelai bent down over a toddler, and smiled at her as she beamed back at him before looking back to the child.

"Show Daddy what you're wearing!"

The toddler ran over to him, clad in jeans, a flannel, and backwards baseball cap; Luke groaned, "Lorelai."

He picked up the miniature version of himself; he noticed Lorelai's eyes in the little boy's face, and smiled as the toddler shut them and laughed loudly, filling the room with the best sound Luke had ever heard.

Lorelai smiled proudly, zipped a small duffle bag closed, and walked over to them, sliding her arm around Luke's waist. He pulled her in closer and she buried her head in his shoulder, muttering something into his neck.

"Huh?" he asked, but her voice was still too muffled.

Finally, he understood what she was saying, "Luke. Babe."

He blinked hard, and opened his eyes to find Lorelai's face hovering above his. He was disoriented, and unsure how he'd gotten back to the couch.

"What... where..."

"Hon, you've been out cold. April thought we should just leave you here, but I figured you'd want to spend tonight in bed since I'm not sure how comfortable the sleeping arrangements are in the boat."

Luke sat up, rubbing his eyes hard again, just as he had a short while ago. When he opened them, Lorelai was still standing next to the couch, watching him.

He stood up slowly, getting his bearings, and frowned at her.

"But... the kids?"

She stared at him, confused, "The kids? Wow, I feel like we've had this exact conversation before..."

"But I never closed on the Twickham house."

"Riiiiiight..." Lorelai tried not to laugh at his expression. Whatever he'd been dreaming about had clearly left him slightly confused. "I think you're dreaming, hon, let's go to bed. It's late."

Luke slowly stood and recognized Lorelai's living room, not the larger one he'd just been in. As he followed her up the stairs, he touched the wall, a different one that lacked photos of beautiful memories. He suddenly missed the little kids from his dream. Despite the short time he'd seen them, he felt such a strong connection to them, as if they were supposed to be there. He knew he'd have been checking on them before crawling in bed with Lorelai, proud of the little lives they were raising together. As Luke got ready for bed, he thought back to the smaller details of the dream.

The little girl had been there when Rory was graduating from Yale. He could clearly count the years now. He realized his subconscious had made up a little world that continued on from his first engagement to Lorelai and into the future. It was a world where he'd handled the situation with April normally, one where they'd made efforts to make sure Christopher Hayden wasn't a threat, and where a June 3rd wedding hadn't been canceled.

As he crawled into bed, Luke sighed heavily, trying to quickly fall back to sleep and let his subconscious take him back to what could have been. He thought about the little boy's laugh, hoping to pick up where he left off.

Moments later, Luke Danes encountered vivid dreams about one of the most important aspects of his life: the cooktop at the diner.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: Loaded chapter, this one. Loving the reviews and PMs! Will try to get the next two edited and posted ASAP (probably sometime tomorrow)._


	17. You Can Call Me Al

**Chapter 17: You Can Call Me Al**

"Luke, these boats are all huge."

Lorelai was looking around the dock trying to determine which boat was Luke's but nothing around her looked anything like what she'd been imagining.

"Well, it's not small..."

Lorelai stuck her tongue in her cheek, fighting back a "dirty!". Fortunately, she caught Luke's smirk and knew he'd heard the unspoken word regardless. She sipped her coffee and smiled proudly into the lid of the travel cup.

"That's it, right there," he pointed to a large white boat with blue accents.

"Dad, that's not a boat, that's a small yacht!" April gaped.

Lorelai nodded, eyes wide. "Luke, some of my parents' friends have boats that size."

"The timing was right, it was a great deal..." Luke shrugged. "It's fun and it's comfortable. Nice to stay on, fish on, hang out on... I wanted more than just a little fishing boat."

"I'll say," April agreed, "When you told me about the trip this summer, I was expecting we'd be camping on the deck or something."

Luke chuckled. He'd deliberately avoided sharing details about the boat when he'd first planned the trip with April to surprise her, and was pleased he'd held out, based on her and Lorelai's reactions.

He unlocked the gate and walked down the ramp to the boat, helping both April and Lorelai on board, then returned to retrieve their luggage. They entered from the back, walked up a few steps, and ahead of them, a large, covered seating area wrapped around a small table and the captain's seat and navigation. Nearby was a step-down into the interior of the boat which lead to another large seating area with a table, a full sized bed, a small kitchenette, and a tiny bathroom.

"So, April, you can pick where you want to sleep. Both the seating area up there and the seating area down here convert to beds. If you sleep out there, I have a heavier sleeping bag and space heater, just in case." Luke began pointing out other important features, "Life jackets here - no flack about whether they match your outfits, if it gets choppy out there, they go on. Life raft is here, self inflating, do _not_ get it out unless there's an emergency or you owe me a replacement, and they're not cheap." They both agreed, saluting. He rolled his eyes. "I'll go unload the food stuff and get us ready to head out."

A few hours later, after eating pancakes Luke made in the kitchenette, Lorelai was seated next to Luke as he drove. He pointed out various instruments, explaining how things worked. She wasn't paying close attention to what he was talking about so much as _how_ he was talking. He was in his element, and she wasn't sure, in all the years she'd known Luke, that she'd ever seen him look quite so happy... in public, anyway.

Lorelai was relieved to see him so elated. She'd noticed Luke seemed a little distracted earlier, falling into longer stretches of silence than usual; April had picked up on it as well and neither of them had been able to deduce the reason for it. Lorelai was planning to bug him about it, but as the sun rose, so had his demeanor, and now that they were moving ahead speedily, whatever had been bothering him before was far from his mind. Though curious, she didn't want to ruin his afternoon by bringing it up.

April sat behind them, alternating between reading and snapping photos, eager to document the joyful expression on her father's face.

"So where is it we're headed?" Lorelai pointed to a random land mass on the GPS screen, "Is that it?"

"Nope. Today's destination is here." He pointed out a seemingly random spot of ocean farther out. "Gotta pick up dinner."

"We're catching dinner?"

"Yep. You okay with that?"

"Sure. You know, I was taught by the best."

"Yeah, and who had to relocate Jayne to the lake? If you catch a fish, you do not get to look it in the eyes."

"She was really cute. Maybe not every fish is that cute. Or maybe only fresh water fish are cute."

"Uh-huh. If you catch one, you're not lookin' at it." Luke took a brief glance at the GPS as he made a slight turn. Another forty minutes passed before they arrived at the spot Luke had indicated.

Lorelai turned to April as Luke stood to lower the anchor and gather the fishing gear from its cabinet downstairs, "I get the feeling you're gonna learn how to drive a boat before you can drive a car."

April laughed, "A very useful skill in New Mexico, I'm sure. You've fished before?"

"Yeah, your dad taught me to fish so I could impress a guy I was dating. I named her Jayne Mansfield, and she lived in my bath tub until the next day when I told your dad about her and he agreed to take her back to the lake for me. I'm not sure how much I remember, but there's things to flick and pull, and there's a swish somewhere... it shouldn't be too hard to figure out again. Have you ever been?"

"Nope. Oddly, this is my inaugural fishing expedition. Did Rory ever go fishing?"

Lorelai shook her head, "Nah. Maybe we can start working on her now, and someday she'll be home long enough that we can convince her to come with."

She could almost see the wheels in April's brain beginning to turn, working on arguments even Rory would have a hard time turning down. It wasn't long before Luke had all three of them seated on the deck, their poles attached to the railing. He'd surprised both of them with their own fishing poles, the grip of Lorelai's wrapped in bright pink, which had delighted her. It never ceased to amaze her that Luke could be so quick to gripe about silly things like excessive flourishes, but always went a little out of the way to add them in for her - Santa burgers, personal ice skating rinks, pink fishing accessories... Rory was right, he was a softy at heart.

"This isn't as exciting as I was thinking," April complained, "I thought there would be more... flinging of the line, gripping the fishing rod, and trying not to fall overboard as we struggled only to pull up an old tire... or... I don't know..."

"Well, you can detach it from the rail and hold it if you want," Luke shrugged, "But it's basically the same thing we're doing now, you'll just get bored holding it."

"I feel like I should have been more prepared. Maybe there are newer techniques to this we aren't aware of. We should have stopped at Andrew's yesterday. If you had satellite internet, we could look it up. Maybe-"

Luke shook his head, "April, the point is to relax, watch the line, and jump into action when the fish bite." April groaned and reached for the book she'd been reading as Luke continued, "If we're here awhile and we don't get any bites, we'll move somewhere else. But we still have to wait a bit for the fish to be drawn back over to this area, and notice the delicious bait waiting for them." He wiggled the jar of live bait, causing April to shoot him an annoyed look before immersing herself back in her book.

Lorelai wrinkled her nose in disgust at the jar of worms in Luke's hand, impressed April hadn't bolted away from them. Neither time she'd gone fishing had she been able to bait the hook, leaving it to Alex, and now Luke, to perform the disgusting, yet necessary duty. She reached for the sunscreen, reapplying it to her sun-deprived skin, determined not to get burned.

Both she and April were decked out in hats and sunglasses, bathing suit tops, and shorts. They'd been impressed to see Luke trade his jeans for cargo shorts. Even his summer t-shirt had been replaced with a linen short sleeved shirt, which he'd slowly unbuttoned as the day grew warmer. He'd already smirked at Lorelai once for unabashedly gazing at his bare chest. Lorelai, however, had neglected to comment on his frequent glances at her bare legs, enjoying the attention.

She really was surprised by how comfortable the boat was. She hadn't been on one since her father's friends had tried to coerce him into picking up yachting. The Gilmores had spent that summer attending boat party after boat party on massive yachts. The first one Lorelai could recall enjoying was the party where Mary Pierce had managed to sneak several large flasks filled with mixed drinks into her bag.

The teenagers had gathered on the deck, the spot farthest from the adults, and eventually, they were all drunkenly spread out on their backs, giggling and watching the stars spin. Their parents were livid, and Emily had made sure that her hungover teenage daughter was up extra early the next morning, and every word spoken was louder than necessary. It was after that experience that they'd all learned to be more careful about sugar content in alcohol, saving anything candy-flavored for drinking in moderation. Tequila became the group's booze of choice, and she'd taken great joy in matching her old friend Christopher shot for shot.

It was odd to think she'd been April's age when that had happened. Lorelai remembered Rory's teen years feeling so much more normal than her own, and she noticed it again with April. Lorelai wondered what Luke was like at fourteen. She knew his mom had passed away by then. She hated bringing up most of Luke's past because so much of it seemed wrought with painful memories. She wondered if April had been better about getting information out of him.

Lorelai glanced over at Luke, whose hat was facing forward to shield his eyes from the sun. Worn that way, his hat always looked terribly odd to her. She leaned back on her elbows and watched him for a few minutes, recognizing the pensive expression on his face as the same one from that morning. Lorelai reached over to touch his forearm lightly, receiving a questioning look in response.

"You still on the boat?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"Something on your mind?"

"Ah. Nah. Just enjoying the day."

It was his inability to meet her eyes and the way he'd quickly looked back at the water that indicated he was lying through his teeth. Whatever it was, he wasn't ready to talk about it. As tempted as she was to push him, she decided to let it go for the time being.

"Did you ever go boating with your dad or was fishing strictly a land-based activity?"

"Mostly land-based. We'd plan camping trips around it when I was really young, going on road trips to a few nearby lakes and rivers. When I was older, he worked most of the time, but we did go on a few boat trips with Mia's husband and her sons."

"Really! I didn't realize Mia had a boat."

Luke laughed, "She hated everything about that boat, except for the fact that it got her a few nights of peace at home when we'd take off. Gerald's boat was just a little bigger than my dad's old fishing boat, nothing like this. We'd camp out on the beach and take the boat out in the morning. I used to love camping on the beach." He nodded to Lorelai, "One of my favorite camping spots was near Harvey's Beach."

She smiled, recalling their previous conversation about that beach, having long since let go of everything else surrounding the failed trip to Martha's Vineyard. "When did that stop?"

"When Gerald started getting sick. He knew, even if he lived, he wouldn't be able to physically handle it anymore, so he sold it. Around then, my dad decided to build his own boat, and you know that story."

Lorelai nodded, "I can't believe I never knew that about Mia, but she never talked much about her husband. I'm glad she finally remarried. Howard's a nice guy."

"I'd like to meet him one of these days. She invited me to the wedding, you know, and then called to ask me not to come."

"She what?!" Lorelai sat up quickly.

Luke chuckled, "It's no big deal, Lorelai. She knew... it would've been weird for you and me. She was very nice about it, and I understood. You're the daughter she never had, she needed you there. I'd been awful about keeping in touch anyway, and hey, it worked out. Lane went into labor and if I hadn't been there, Zack probably would've run his car into a tree."

"True," she agreed, but couldn't believe Mia hadn't mentioned it. In fact, Mia had completely avoided any talk about Luke that entire trip. She realized she should check in with her again soon, it had been too long since they'd talked, and she was usually better about staying in touch. Mia had been one of the few people she'd completely dropped her walls for and cried to about Luke. She was also the first person she called after she and Chris had split up. She felt bad that she'd fallen out of touch with one of the most important people in her life during a time when there was actually happy things to talk about.

Lorelai sighed, "I was just thinking I've been awful about calling Mia regularly the last few months. I don't think she even knows we're back together."

"Oh, she knows," Luke grumbled, rolling his eyes, "If Patty didn't tell her by now, I'm sure Maisy would have."

"Ah, I forgot they were friends... uh... what _does_ Maisy think about this? Us?" she asked, cringing. She knew Maisy and Buddy had a protective streak when it came to Luke.

"Thrilled, actually." He looked down and began rearranging things in his tackle box. "She, uh, was pretty upset at me last year."

"Really."

"Yeah. Maisy's got a good verbal left hook, let me put it that way. If they'd done the ribbon thing that time? She would've been pink. Probably would've grabbed five pink ribbons and dressed in pink just to drive the point home."

Lorelai wasn't sure how to react to that, but couldn't deny the rush of relief. They hadn't been over to Sniffy's since they'd gotten back together. She knew Luke had gone alone for a meal here and there on several occasions, and she'd been worried that she'd become a bit of a persona non grata. "What about Buddy?"

"You know Buddy. He's got a broad perspective on everything. After we broke up, he said he really thought I'd found it this time," Luke continued fiddling with his tackle box, looking sad.

Lorelai poked him, letting her finger linger on his abs a little longer than necessary, then added quietly with a slight smile, "Well, it turned out you did after all."

Luke didn't look up, but she saw him smile a little. He placed his hand on her arm, dragging it down to her hand, which he grasped and brought up to his lips, kissing it. "Yeah, I did."

His response was unexpectedly intense as he finally made eye contact, and Lorelai wasn't liking that the strange, haunted look was still present behind his eyes. Before she could say anything, she saw something move out of the corner of her eye, and looked over to find April's pole twitching a little.

"Hey, April! You've got something!" Lorelai shouted excitedly.

April abruptly threw her book down and leapt over to the fishing rod alongside Luke. Lorelai reached for the camera April had been taking photos with all morning, and got a few shots as Luke helped April reel in a massive fish.

It was much larger than Jayne and looked nothing like her.

Thinking of Jayne, she recalled Luke's earlier instructions to not look too closely, and after taking a few posed photos of father and daughter, immediately made efforts to avoid looking at the fish at all. Luke noticed her obvious avoidance and couldn't help but laugh.

"It's a fluke," he noted as he got a good look at the fish.

"Well, beginner's luck, maybe, but I don't think it's fair to call April catching a fish first a fluke." Lorelai objected.

Luke rolled his eyes, but April interjected before he could respond, laughing as she replied "It's a type of fish - a fluke - it's a flounder. Pretty popular around here at this time of year."

Luke raised his eyebrows, impressed, and April rolled her eyes in response, "I know a little about the local wildlife. Just didn't have enough time to read about fishing techniques."

Over the next two hours, Lorelai had caught a bluefish, and Luke two sea bass. While April and Luke worked on cleaning and preparing the fish for their dinner later, Lorelai busied herself getting lunch ready. Luke had brought the makings for sandwiches along with a few other side dishes, and she took her time putting the sandwiches together and setting everything out on the outdoor table, not wanting to catch a glimpse of the fish dissection.

Lorelai and April double-teamed Luke as they ate lunch, trying to get him to tell them where they were headed. When he refused to spill, they resorted to pulling out a few maps and guessing, each making up increasingly ridiculous stories as to what he might have planned.

* * *

Rory rubbed her eyes as she typed up her notes and initial outline from the day's briefing. She already felt a little slow and out of practice after such a short trip, and constantly trying to force herself to focus wasn't helping much. She needed a break. As she exited the hotel, she was confronted with a rare predicament: too much good coffee to choose from.

Earlier, after she'd dropped her luggage off in her room, she returned to the lobby to meet up with Miles. He had just introduced himself to David Chen, who she quickly discovered preferred to go by "Chen" as a result of the amount of "David's" floating around. Having had more time to acclimate himself to the area around the hotel, Chen had scouted out the best late night spot for dinner, a nearby Lebanese restaurant.

The three had bonded quickly, and Rory felt a little bad about her rants to Scott about Chen. Despite his sub-par writing skills, he was a pretty cool guy who was good at managing and organizing facts - Blast just needed to make sure to they played to his strengths in the future.

They'd decided to both attend the morning press event, and discussed it afterward over coffee. Rory had greatly enjoyed having someone with whom to share notes and various thoughts without having to worry about letting an idea slip. She envied the larger media outlets who had multiple reporters working together, and hoped they'd get to collaborate on something again in the future.

Miles was fascinating, Rory found. He had stories from half the countries in the world, despite his age. Rory's inner ten year old wanted to ask him a million questions and sit with her hands fisted under her chin, listening for days. She quickly learned that he downplayed his experiences when speaking about himself, and rarely offered up his stories unless specifically asked. Which, naturally, meant Rory frequently found herself asking questions.

As she paused outside the hotel, a blur of khaki and blue ran straight into her.

"OOF." She felt herself tipping backwards, but quickly caught herself. She was about to congratulate herself on remaining upright when the blur spoke.

"Rory? Oh, man, I'm sorry! Almost knocked you out there. I haven't been that klutzy since ninth grade!" Miles laughed, and stuck out his hand, "Forgive me?"

She shook his hand, responding affirmatively, "Forgiven. Where were you off to so quickly?"

Miles shrugged, readjusting his Kansas City Royals baseball cap, "Nowhere. Just trying to decide on a coffee spot and was booking it down the street as quickly as possible. Kinda jealous of the guys on bikes," he gestured to a few bike commuters in the street.

"Yeah, I'd be laying in the street with the bike on top of me. Look what almost just happened, and that was just walking."

"That was completely my fault, though. Will you let me make it up to you with a cup of coffee?"

"Let me think about it. Yeah, okay," she grinned, and the two headed in the direction Miles had been running, "So was there something specific you were looking for?"

"Yeah, something that doesn't stand out too much, but isn't hiding in the shadows."

Rory laughed, "That's very specific. What about that place?" she gestured to an ivy covered brick wall with a navy blue door. There were a few people milling outside with coffee cups from the same place, but it didn't look too crowded.

"Perfect!"

They sat at a table inside, and decided to split a blueberry streusel muffin that looked too good to pass up.

"So, what's your favorite place in the world to get coffee?" she asked, cutting the muffin in half.

"I know I'm supposed to say Brazil or something, right? But actually, my favorite coffee might not have even been the flavor so much as just the experience," he smiled, reminiscing.

"Oooh, was there a girl involved?"

"Ha! No, nothing like that. It was really cold and I was staying in a yurt in Mongolia. I'd been there almost three weeks, no one spoke English, and they spoke a very specific dialect... anyway, I had no idea what anyone was saying, and they didn't understand me. It was one of the few times I was just really starting to feel out of place and homesick. On top of that, I was doing a ton of travel by foot and was exhausted. We had to get up early, and travel pretty far that day, and I was having a really rough time just getting myself out the door. When I finally did, Batu - he owned the yurt and was hosting me - handed me this thermos of coffee. It was warm, it smelled familiar, and it tasted like heaven. It was exactly what I needed. And the caffeine kick didn't hurt," he smiled, then looked down at his muffin self-consciously, feeling as though he'd spoken too long, "So, uh, what about you?"

Rory stared at him, impressed by his tale. "Mine's so boring by comparison, and makes me look like a complete wuss. Can I make up a story instead?"

"No way. Being a lazy ass among all these muscled farmers and nomads in Mongolia, and having one take pity on me isn't really an exciting story. It's just, you know, one of those times where coffee really had my back."

Rory laughed, "Well... it's just the coffee at the diner back home. Pretty much everywhere I go, I compare it to Luke's."

"Boyfriend?" he smirked, turning the tables on her a bit.

"You want to know how creepy that question is? Luke? The diner owner? He's my future stepdad."

"Well you implied ol' Batu was my girlfriend, which would be really creepy if you knew Batu. So what makes Luke's coffee so great?"

"He says it has something to do with nutmeg, but he also refuses to reveal his supplier, and we're pretty sure he creates his own special blend on top of whatever he orders. Which is absurd considering he hates the stuff. But... even more than that, it sorta became this... comfort thing for my mom and me. We walk in the door and Luke reaches for the mugs." Rory paused. "It's just... home, you know?"

Miles nodded knowingly. "You kind of have to redefine the idea of home the more you travel. Life moves on when you leave a place, and you never know what you're gonna come back to."

"I've been trying to come to terms with that very thing over the last few days. I don't think my mom's going to be living in the house I grew up in too much longer," Rory nibbled a bite of the muffin.

Miles began asking about Stars Hollow and Rory did her best to try and explain the crazy place she grew up, eventually turning the questions back to him.

"So, is everything really up to date in Kansas City?" Rory teased, quoting the musical "Oklahoma". Miles groaned in response, clearly having heard the reference one too many times, but began sharing a few stories about his own hometown.

* * *

Lorelai washed and put away the last of their dinner dishes as she listened to Luke and April talk. It was such a change from the nervous panic she remembered him going through when he was first getting to know April. She still felt incredibly relieved and grateful to finally be a part of it. With Rory gone, this had been the true test. She was down a member of her team, and had been slightly nervous about feeling like an outsider to April and Luke. She wondered if April had the same worry.

Fortunately, things had been great so far, and aside from missing Rory, nothing felt strange or out of the ordinary. Lost in her thoughts, Lorelai realized she'd missed the last few minutes of conversation, and raised her eyebrows as she heard April disagree with something Luke had said.

"Yeah, but that's just not how it works, Dad. I need more than that if I do want to go the Ivy League route. You can ask Lorelai and Rory. It's not _just_ about being smart. So it is something I need to be thinking about now," she heard April explain, "And anyway, I'll talk to Mom about it before the information I requested arrives at home, I promise."

Lorelai draped the towel over the side of the small sink and walked back up the stairs. Luke looked relieved to see her return.

"What should he ask me?" Lorelai asked, sitting down on the large seating area next to Luke, and drawing her legs under her.

Luke rolled his eyes as April turned to look at Lorelai, "Getting into an Ivy League university. That's why Rory went to a fancy prep school, right? Because it looks good on college transcripts?"

"Yeah..." Lorelai began hesitantly, looking at Luke, "Same reason a lot of parents will push for their kids to go to prep schools. It's not a guarantee of getting into one, though... just like going to a regular high school isn't a guarantee of _not_ getting into an Ivy League school..."

"See," Luke pointed out.

"What's this about, exactly?" Lorelai asked, uneasy about proceeding without knowing what debate she was stepping into.

"There were a few people at the camp who were there to talk about college - that's part of the reason this whole thing is geared toward my specific age group - since we're starting high school in the fall. Almost all of them were very pushy about making the right choices about high school and extracurricular stuff so it looks good on transcripts and college applications."

Lorelai nodded, "I remember Rory having a sudden last minute rush to squeeze in more extracurricular stuff at one point."

"Right. And one really huge advantage is a college prep school, like Chilton - which I have no interest in because it's still pretty generalized. But there are a few boarding schools out this way that have really strong science departments. I haven't done anything other than sign up for their mailing lists, just to see. I _thought_ Dad would love the idea since it would put me back in Connecticut."

"Ahh," Lorelai glanced back at Luke who didn't seem at all thrilled with the idea. "Co-ed?" Lorelai asked and saw Luke's eyes widen. She'd assumed that was his issue, but apparently he hadn't considered that yet. Oops.

"Yes, just like every school I've been to, the camp I just got back from, college, and the entire world at large, _Dad_ ," April glared at Luke.

"Yeah, and don't think I didn't notice that I've heard the name James in every single camp-related story," Luke replied dryly. "Does he go to one of those schools?"

April's cheeks turned red and she stared at the floor, muttering, "Not a boarding school, but he goes to a prep school. Not that it matters." She stood and walked toward the steps, "I'm gonna go take a shower and change."

Lorelai reached over and poked Luke's arm once April had left, "Low blow, Daddio."

"I've teased her about boys before, I didn't realize it had become such a sensitive subject," he frowned, adding quietly. "And I can't tell if this boarding school thing is a 'get away from Mom' thing or a genuine interest."

"Yeah," Lorelai nodded, "She'll have to talk to Anna about it either way, so I'd suggest sitting back and seeing what happens for now. No matter what April's reason, it's gonna suck for her mom to hear about her interest in it."

Luke nodded, sighing as he looked out into the quiet night. Lorelai tapped the top of his hand after a few minutes, and he turned to look at her. She nodded at him, "What's been going on in that head of yours all day?"

Luke gnawed his lip uncertainly, "If... June third had happened... what do you think we'd be doing right now?"

Lorelai cocked her head. "Um... I honestly try really hard to avoid thinking about that," she admitted.

"Yeah, me too. Except it's hard not to sometimes. I had a weird dream last night that I just... can't seem to shake."

"A dream about June third?"

He shook his head, "It was like what would've happened if we hadn't gone and ruined everything. I bought the Twickham house, and we got married on June third. But it was after that, in the future, I guess, because April was in college and Rory was in Turkey."

"Turkey?" Lorelai raised her eyebrows, "Well, that's cool. She'd like that. Was I still gorgeous?" she teased.

Luke chuckled, then took on a more serious tone, "There were these kids... they were so real, I haven't been able to get them out of my head."

"Ours?" she asked.

"Yeah. And photos everywhere. Me and you and the oldest one - a girl, she was a baby at Rory's graduation from Yale. There was a little boy, too. And a photo of the four of us at April's high school graduation. And a posed one of all six of us with your parents at Christmas. But it was like I could remember all of that stuff happening. And I still can. It was so vivid."

"Oh, Luke." Lorelai said softly, running her fingers over the back of his hand.

"She was maybe... six or seven, she looked exactly like Rory did at that age, dark hair and big blue eyes; there was a boy too, he was probably two or three, and you had him all dressed up in flannel and a backwards baseball hat." Lorelai laughed quietly at that as Luke continued, "He was... us. You know? His face reminded me of me as a kid, but he had your eyes."

"That's what you were talking about when I woke you up."

"Yeah. And it was disappointing. It had been so real. We went upstairs, and all I could think about was that I wasn't tucking them into bed. If we'd done everything right from the beginning..." Luke moved closer to Lorelai and picked up her hand, squeezing it tightly, "Hard not to ask myself what we're sitting around waiting for."

"Now you know what had been going through my head for months when I begged you to elope," Lorelai smiled at him sadly.

"Yeah," he laughed humorlessly. "I hate how much time we've lost being stupid. And I thought I was fine taking things slowly. But I realized... I do want that... all of that." He narrowed his eyes, scanning her face, "And you... don't."

"Not true. You have to understand, I waited around for months last year, desperate to move forward. You're just now catching up."

Luke frowned, looking past her at the darkened horizon. She was right. And knowing she'd felt this strongly at that time, without being able to do anything about it made him understand even more how deeply she must have been hurting.

"Luke," Lorelai said quietly after a few minutes, "Rory left. April's leaving soon. The little family we created this week is disappearing. I get it. And believe me, I still want the same things. But two nights ago, you were telling me I was jumping the gun worrying about moving. That same night, you told me you were just at the stage of looking at a car to fit the four of us. Now you're ten steps ahead of me here, and disappointed that I'm not right there with you."

When his sad expression didn't change, Lorelai took a deep breath and trapped his hand between both of hers as she let her mind wander down a path she'd decided months ago was completely off limits. She'd promised herself that the whole kid thing would be the end result of everything they were working on now.

There was a specific order she wanted to do things in before then: rebuild their relationship, get engaged, and then plan and actually go through with a wedding.

Of course, there were no rules, and they were in a better place now than they'd ever been before... Lorelai wondered if some things could be compromised. It wasn't as if their forward progress would simply stop just because they switched the order up a little.

"Hey, look at me," Lorelai tugged gently on his hand and waited until he met her eyes again before she spoke, "If you still feel this strongly in two weeks, I flush the pills, you dump the condoms, and we start working on bringing this mini-Rory or the kid in flannel into existence."

"And you'd be okay with that."

"Yes. I have my own to-do list where you and I are concerned, but I'm willing to juggle the order of things if you want this that badly." She took a deep breath, "But Luke, I really want you to think about the reality of this, and not just jump into it because of a beautiful, vivid dream. Kids are a lot of work, and it would change a lot."

Luke nodded. He hadn't expected that reaction. He hadn't even expected to unleash all of that on her tonight, either. He just hoped she wasn't sacrificing too much of what she wanted to give him something he hadn't even expected to want this badly until now. But after spending the day imagining his kids on the boat with them, he could almost feel a hole left by their absence. He leaned over to kiss Lorelai gently.

He pulled back slowly, searching her eyes for any doubts about what she'd just promised. Finding none, Luke shook his head in amazement. Though he felt incredibly lucky, he couldn't help but worry that he was also being incredibly selfish.

"What's on your list?" Luke asked.

Lorelai laughed softly, "Nothing you wouldn't expect. Do that car thing you mentioned, get engaged, plan a wedding, deal with this stupid house thing, actually go through with the wedding, go on a honeymoon, have a kid or two, and eventually throw an awesome fiftieth anniversary party at Patty's. She'll be really old by then, but I think she'll still be up for it."

Luke chuckled and pulled her against his chest, kissing the top of her head. They stayed that way for several minutes, each lost in their own thoughts after their talk, listening to the water slap quietly against the side of the boat.

Though her mind was still running a mile a minute trying to sort through Luke's confession and her offer to compromise, the long, exhausting day caught up to Lorelai and she quickly dozed off. Luke leaned back, getting them both into a more comfortable position, and propped his head up with a pillow April had brought out earlier.

A bit later, April returned, having dried her hair and changed into a t-shirt and a pair of gently worn Yale sweats she'd discovered while Rory was boxing up clothes. She thought they were cool, and Rory let her have them rather than put them in storage.

"It's still okay if I sleep up here, right?" she asked Luke quietly. "It's not too cold, and I don't think there's anything quite like camping out in the middle of the water."

Luke nodded, "Yeah, we can pull out the heavier sleeping bag, you'll want it as it gets later. You going to sleep now?"

"Nah, just making sure you were still cool with it before I let myself get too excited. Looks like someone beat me to it, though," she nodded at Lorelai.

"We're not as young as you, kiddo. Want us to get out of your way?" Luke offered.

April shook her head, "Not until you're ready to go to bed. We don't have too much time left before I go home, and this week went by so fast. It was good, though, don't you think?"

"Yeah, it's always good to have you back here. I'm sorry for teasing you about Jamie."

"It's okay," she gave her dad a small smile, "I really miss being out here. New Mexico is a really awesome experience, and it's been cool to live in a different part of the country, but... I like everything out here so much better." April sighed, "Mom absolutely hates it out there, so I avoid griping about it."

"You should at least talk to her about it. She'd probably appreciate knowing she's not alone in missing Connecticut."

April frowned, "You sound like Rory."

"You guys talked a lot, huh?"

"Yeah. She's pretty wise when it comes to, uh, non-standard parental situations..." April leaned over to get a better look at Lorelai, "How out is she?"

Luke moved slightly and Lorelai didn't budge, her deep breaths unchanged, " _Out_ out. Probably gonna take some effort to wake her up to get her downstairs."

"Good. Rory's dad's a piece of work, huh?"

Luke chuckled softly, "What did Rory tell you?"

"A bunch of stuff. I was trying to decide what was worse - not knowing your dad at all, or having one who only showed up when he wanted to hook up with your mom." Luke's eyebrows shot upward in response to that. "In the end, I've decided her situation was worse. At least I don't have to work to have a relationship with you."

"Uh, April, before you go around saying stuff, I don't like the guy much either, but things were a little more complicated than that."

"Oh, I know. Still, you were a better dad to her than her own was. She said so, too. And I accidentally found Lorelai's letter for the custody hearing before I left for camp."

"That wasn't for you to read," Luke chided. "How did you manage to get ahold of it?"

"Mom keeps my important paperwork and stuff in this locked, fireproof file cabinet and I needed some insurance stuff for camp. She gave me the key and told me to go get it, and I accidentally grabbed the wrong folder and poked around a little." April shrugged, "It was a good letter. I'm glad she wrote it. You could tell she was still in love with you. Is that what helped get you guys back together?"

"In a manner of speaking, but that's not really, uh..." he gestured to the sleeping woman burrowed against his chest, "Not my place to tell you about that."

"Got it," April replied, making a mental note to ask Rory or Lorelai sometime. She sighed and leaned back. "This is really nice. I'm glad we got to do this for at least one night. Would be a good place to propose, you know."

Luke huffed, "I _have_ a plan, leave me alone."

"You say that now, what if she beats you to it again?" April teased.

"I win either way," he smirked.

April giggled.

Luke shook his head and gave into the massive yawn he'd been fighting back, "I think I'm gonna get us to bed. If you wanna go grab that sleeping bag, it's in the storage area under the seating downstairs. Once I get sleepyhead up, I'll convert this over to a bed for you."

April nodded and ran downstairs to seek out the sleeping bag.

Luke ran his hand down Lorelai's arm, "Lorelai." He jostled her a little until a frown appeared on her face and she glared up at him. "Bedtime, babe. We're in April's bedroom."

"We... huh?" Lorelai slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes as she remembered where she was, "Oh. You're too comfortable."

April walked back up with the sleeping bag, "Found it on the second try! Oh, hey, welcome back to the land of the living."

"How was the shower?" Lorelai asked, standing and moving out of the way as Luke began adjusting the table and moving cushions around.

"About what you'd expect. No offense, Dad."

Luke shrugged in response.

"I'll brave it in the morning, I think," Lorelai replied, "Don't wanna fall asleep standing up. G'night, April."

Lorelai gave her a quick hug and disappeared downstairs.

Luke spread the sleeping bag on top of the bed and placed April's pillow on it. "All set. Space heater's right over there in case it gets too chilly. You sure you don't want me to convert the other bed downstairs just in case?"

"I'll be fine. I've done winter camps outside with this kind of sleeping bag and it was about fifty degrees colder. Night, Dad."

April gave Luke a tight hug, and he dropped a quick kiss on the top of her head before joining Lorelai downstairs. He used the sink in the kitchen area to brush his teeth while Lorelai finished in the bathroom, then quickly changed and crawled into bed. She joined him a few minutes later and moved into a position similar to the one she was in upstairs.

"Don't know why you have pillows at all," Luke muttered, running his hand through her hair.

"Me either," Lorelai yawned into his chest.

"Two weeks? You're sure? If I still want this by then?" Luke asked.

Lorelai nodded, "Two weeks." She pulled herself up for a moment to look closely at his face, "But I'm serious, Luke. Talk to Jackson. Talk to Lane. Talk to Liz. Offer to take Doula for a few days so Liz can go visit TJ. And if you're still one hundred percent ready for us to hit the fast forward button on this, I'm with you all the way. You just have to promise me the other stuff isn't far behind."

"The other stuff isn't far off either way," he ran his hand down her back reassuringly and she gave him a small smile before laying her head back down on his chest.

"Two weeks," he whispered thoughtfully before giving himself over to sleep.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: The title comes from the Paul Simon song by the same name. The song is about a man in the middle of a mid-life crisis, and it matched the idea of Luke taking a good, hard look at the last few years and questioning it all. Plus, the music video has been a favorite of mine for decades (it's all good 80s fun; you can't go wrong with Chevy Chase lip syncing)._

 _And, yes, I did spend an absurd amount of time researching boats for this chapter. It was a Bayliner model I ended up going with, but I don't see the actual model in my notes, and I wrote this too long ago to remember. But it's a pretty cool boat. In the real world, WAY more than Luke probably would've spent, but he deserves to spoil himself a little, I've decided, and, y'know, he did get a really good deal and stuff. ;)_

 _Posting this along with the next chapter today, because I threw something pretty big out there and I don't want to leave that dangling too long!_


	18. Week By Week

**Chapter 18: Week By Week**

"You told him what?!" Sookie stopped and stared at Lorelai in shock.

"Two weeks. Am I crazy?" Lorelai asked.

The two friends had decided to meet for lunch at the park while Luke took April to the airport on Friday afternoon.

The boat trip had been wonderful. Luke, Lorelai, and April spent Thursday morning and afternoon in Newport, Rhode Island snacking, shopping, and sight seeing before heading back to the boat for dinner. Then, it was back to Bridgeport and home. They had a late dessert with Liz, and spent the rest of Thursday night helping April decide what to leave and what to pack. Lorelai and April bid each other an unexpectedly teary goodbye the next morning before Luke whisked April off to the airport. Though Luke had expected Lorelai would be going along, she understood the importance of one-on-one time with one's daughter, especially where long goodbyes were concerned.

Lorelai cringed as she saw Sookie's horrified expression.

"Yes! You _are_ crazy! You are absolutely _nuts!_ You deserve the ring and dress and all that stuff. He's made you wait long enough," Sookie frowned, her hands on her hips.

"Sookie, I had a hand in that too, let's not forget. And I want all of those things too, and kids with him, and the thing is, if he wants a kid now, maybe it's not such a bad thing. We're kinda racing the clock, here, as it is." Lorelai stopped walking to let Paul Anka sniff a patch of grass.

"Do you think he's gonna talk himself out of it?" Sookie asked.

"I don't know. It could go either way. I told him to talk to pretty much everyone we know with young kids. And we're taking Doula this week so Liz can go visit TJ. She was so excited, we didn't have the heart to tell her we meant a few days, not an entire week."

"Just don't let him talk to Jackson. He doesn't seem to mind that we get no sleep, no alone time, and no peace and quiet. If I hadn't required proof of the vasectomy this time and made up the ice packs myself, I still don't think he'd have actually gone through with it," Sookie grumbled, then spoke sweetly to Theo in his stroller, "No offense, little guy, Mommy just needs you to be the last one. She has about four years of sleep to catch up on." Sookie looked back at Lorelai, "What does Rory think?"

"Haven't talked to her about it yet. Not sure if I will, either. It's... kind of a weird thing to talk to your kid about. She didn't even realize Luke and I wanted kids until this past week."

"True, but it is Rory."

"Who spent her entire trip saying goodbye the house as if we're going to sell it before Christmas or something."

"Well, say a month from now, you're pregnant. What would the plan be for the living situation?"

"Our room is huge. A baby would be fine in there for awhile. So we'd have at least a year, maybe longer before having to either expand the house or move entirely. Hell, Rory and I shared a room - a bed - until she was ten. Sharing a bedroom with an infant for a few months wouldn't be awful."

Sookie smirked, "Yeah, you say that now. You were single then. But when you hear a little giggle from the crib two feet away during your first go at having a sex life again a few months later, it completely kills the moment." Lorelai laughed while Sookie only sighed sadly at the recent memory. "I really don't like you just throwing the reigns over to Luke on this."

"I'm not just throwing the reigns, Sookie. I was ready for this a year ago. Part of the reason I wanted a short engagement in the first place was so we could start working on a family. If he's ready to dive in now - which I never even considered happening - I'm there. And if he decides he'd rather wait till we're married, that's fine too."

"So, it's just... no big deal, either way?" Sookie asked and Lorelai nodded. "You. Two or more kinds of birth control at all times girl."

Lorelai winced. There were some things one should never tell their best friend unless they wanted it used against them later. Which, as it turned out, was exactly what was now making her hesitant to bring up the reason she'd initiated the conversation in the first place.

The fact was, the more Lorelai had thought about it, she realized she wasn't completely sure about compromising. And Luke seemed to forget that, as much as he wanted to make his dream a reality, there had still been a wedding in that fantasy world before any kids showed up. Instead of talking to Sookie about her doubts, she found herself defending Luke's position, which was just making her more confused.

"I'm trying to be supportive, hon, but this is just so out of left field," Sookie touched her friend's arm, noticing she was getting visibly worked up.

"I know. Believe me, I know. In one week, Luke went from freaking out about us sleeping in the same bed with Rory and April in the house, to talking about buying a car to fit the four of us, to suddenly wanting to have kids. And it was a year ago that he wouldn't even let me be in the same room as April, wouldn't move in with me, and would barely even do the thing that gets you pregnant in the first place!" Lorelai vented.

"See, I knew it wasn't that simple."

"But it should be, right? I mean, I trust him. I trust where we're headed in our relationship. I shouldn't need the traditional stuff first. It's still us, married or not."

"Except you've always wanted to take a stab at the traditional stuff first after doing nothing traditional the first time. You've been saying that for years. And you've said a million times over the last few months that your relationship with Luke is far more important than anything else," Sookie reminded her. Lorelai sighed and dropped onto a bench, giving Paul Anka a small smile as he pushed his head into her hand.

"I know."

"Lorelai, you have to talk to him. Otherwise this is going to be the sequel to the time you offered to postpone the wedding. And take it from someone who knows, this is not a topic you can afford to be on different pages about."

* * *

Luke opened the front door to find Liz with Doula's carrier in one arm and a diaper bag and duffle bag on the other. He took the bags and ushered her in.

"You're so awesome for doing this. I mean I know you're the best brother ever, but this is above and beyond, Luke," Liz grinned happily, setting Doula's carrier on the floor next to the couch. "I've got her stroller, portable crib, and a few other things in the back of the car."

He followed her out, and they unloaded the rest. Once again, Luke was baffled at how much stuff one baby seemed to need. Unloading completed, he reached down to remove Doula from her carrier, and she squealed happily as he lifted her up, reaching to pat his cheeks.

"Well thank you. Nice to see you haven't forgotten your favorite uncle," Luke smiled. Liz laughed and handed him a burp cloth for the endless amounts of drool.

"Here's the phone number for her doctor," Liz handed him a piece of paper, "I also included the contact numbers of the hotel and the convention center we're at just in case anything happens and we can't be reached over our cell phones for some reason."

"Thanks," Luke folded it and stuffed it in his pocket to stick on the refrigerator later.

"So, what made you decide to do this? Not that I don't appreciate the offer, but it just seemed a little random," Liz asked as she readjusted Doula's sock.

"Oh, you know… you've been amazing helping with the ring and everything. I figured I owed you one," Luke replied nonchalantly.

"Well, I'd believe you, but you've got that weird look on your face." She narrowed her eyes at him, then gasped, "Is Lorelai pregnant?!"

"No!" Luke sighed, moving Doula to his hip as Liz raised an eyebrow, not believing him. "She's not. I mean, not yet."

"Not yet," Liz mimicked. She spread Doula's blanket on the rug and reached for her, sitting her down to play with one of her toys.

"We're… talking about it. We both want kids. I think… maybe we should just… move forward with that," he replied, feeling awkward about discussing this with his sister.

"And you two have talked about this, right? I mean you're not just, like… poking holes in things…" Liz eyed him warily.

"Geez, Liz!"

"Well! The April thing seemed like something you'd talk about and you never mentioned that! I don't know how far you take this surprise kid thing!"

"Oh man," Luke ran his hands over his face, "Entirely different circumstances. Entirely different relationship. Of course we've talked about it."

"Okay, okay!" Liz laughed, "So, Doula's your little trial run, huh?"

"Something like that. Lorelai wants me to really think hard about this. And I've watched kids for a few hours, but not a few days. And she's gonna be busy this week working out the final details of that big thing at the inn next month, so it'll be good for me. And I really do owe you for the ring."

"Well, Doula's easier than her brother, but just as talkative. You know, all grunts and grumbles and no one really knows what either of them are saying," Liz smirked and Luke laughed. She looked up at him seriously after a moment, "You really want all this now? You can't just wait three weeks till the ring's done and you guys can plan a wedding? Just last year, you were freaking out about all of this."

"And look how much time I wasted freaking out," Luke sighed, joining Liz and Doula on the floor. He told her about his dream and the details of his conversation with Lorelai.

"I understand where you're coming from, I really do. And you already know I believe dreams can sometimes hold the keys to the things we need to deal with in reality. Yours seems like it was pretty blatantly trying to tell you something. Just make sure that this is it before you attack the condoms with a needle," Liz teased as Luke groaned. She patted his knee and stood. "Well, I'm gonna hit the road. I wanna be there right as TJ wraps up for the night, so I can surprise him and have him all to myself."

Liz said goodbye to Doula, and walked toward the door. As she left, she turned to Luke one last time, "Don't feel like you have anything to prove, Luke, I think Lorelai just wants you to see what it's like having a baby around for more than a few hours. She's not expecting SuperDad."

* * *

"How's it going?" Lorelai asked as she pulled her office door shut behind her.

"Well, so far, I'm still her favorite uncle. So much so that she refused to fall asleep for awhile. But she crawls really fast so she eventually wiped herself out," Luke chuckled.

"And how's my dog handling that?" She laughed, recalling how wary he'd been around Martha Belleville when she was smaller.

"Uh, your dog doesn't trust me with her and follows me around like he's gonna have to take over at any second. And when she's on the floor, he's never more than a few feet away, and stares at me every time I touch her. It's creepy."

"Really," Lorelai raised an eyebrow. "And how are you?"

"I'm, uh..." he hesitated, recalling what Liz said about not having to prove anything, "Wiped, honestly. This house isn't exactly baby-proof. Or, it wasn't. It mostly is now. Uh, I hope you don't mind."

"You hope I don't mind that you made sure your niece doesn't kill herself while you blink?" she teased. "No, Luke, I don't mind. That's also why I left those corner bumper things for the coffee table."

"Which have saved her head a hundred times at least, let me tell you. She really likes to pull herself up on this thing." Luke rapped his knuckles the side of the table.

Lorelai heard the sound and frowned, "Where are you right now?"

"On the floor next to the coffee table. She fell asleep on my chest - just like her Auntie Lorelai, by the way - and I can't move."

Lorelai couldn't help but giggle.

"Don't mock me. Your dog's staring at me from the couch. If I so much as think about moving, he sits up like he's going to attack me should I dare to awake her highness from sleep," Luke grumbled, "It was a miracle he let me pull my cell phone out of my pocket."

"And you always said his weird mannerisms were half in my head."

"Yeah. Sorry about that."

"I'm about done here," Lorelai reached for a stack of paychecks and exited her office toward the wooden array of mailboxes set up for each employee. "You want me to pick up Chinese?"

"Please. Just not from Al's?" Luke yawned.

Thirty minutes later, Lorelai walked into the house. She glanced into the living room and giggled. Everything was exactly as Luke had described. Toys littered the living room, and Luke was on his back next to the coffee table on the floor, Doula sprawled across his chest, with Paul Anka watching carefully from the couch. The dog turned to her and wagged his tail before quickly looking back to his charges.

Lorelai placed her purse and the takeout food on the kitchen table and walked back into the living room, sliding her heels off in the hallway. She reached down to pluck the sleeping infant from Luke, and Doula snuggled into her neck. She slowly ran her hand up and down the little girl's back, making sure she stayed asleep.

Luke blinked awake and glanced over at Paul Anka to find he'd already begun catching up on sleep, himself, now that Lorelai was home.

"Figures," Luke grumbled, then groaned as he began to sit up. "Ugh. Adults were not meant to crawl around like that." When he finally reached a standing position he walked over to give Lorelai a quick kiss before ambling toward the kitchen, groaning as he dug his fist into his side. Lorelai turned to follow him.

"Hey, how long does she normally nap for?" she asked as Luke pulled cartons of food out of the bag.

"Uh, Liz said about two hours, and she's been out for about forty minutes. She conked out right before I called you."

"Excellent," Lorelai turned and carefully placed Doula in the playpen in the living room, then returned to the kitchen, joining Luke at the table.

"How was lunch with Sookie?" he asked.

"Good." Lorelai answered, digging into a carton of noodles.

"Just... good?"

Lorelai finished her bite then sighed as she put her fork down, "She... gave me a lot to think about."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Lorelai began nervously tapping her finger against the side of one of the takeout containers as she turned her focus to the table top. She wasn't really sure if she was ready to discuss this with Luke yet. Sookie had brought up several excellent points, definitely gave her plenty to consider, and Lorelai had barely scratched the surface. She looked up in time to see Luke's finger hook around hers to stop the nervous tapping.

"Lorelai. What's up?"

Lorelai slowly looked up from their connected fingers. She noticed he'd put his fork down at some point, and her eyes eventually reached his face. He was genuinely concerned.

"I... think... maybe... I... might need more than two weeks," she admitted uneasily.

Luke frowned, "Okay. And why did I have just drag that out of you?"

"Because I already told you that I'd be fine with two weeks. It's not fair to just take that back, especially with how passionate you were the other night about wanting kids now. I want to be able to compromise on my stuff so you can have your stuff. You compromise on stuff all the time."

"Yeah, little stuff. This isn't little stuff. This is kinda big."

"The biggest, really. And I'm not just referring to what it means for my dress size," Lorelai joked, slowly retrieving her finger and resting her chin in her hands as she leaned her elbows on the table.

Luke was quiet for moment, letting her confession sink in.

"Is it time or circumstances that you need more of?"

Lorelai hadn't considered it from those perspectives. Time? Time would buy them a little more stability. Less awkward run-ins with the recent past. Circumstances? Engaged. Married. She needed both time and circumstances. And that answer went against everything she agreed to compromise on two nights ago. It felt selfish and it felt like she was pushing him toward her own agenda without considering his. Again.

"Luke..." she said weakly, "I can't answer that."

"Both, then," Luke answered. "Right?"

"Please don't think I don't want this with you. I just... we're... things are... our daughters are back to their normal lives and we haven't even spent one night alone, just falling back into our usual routine, and now Doula's here for a few days."

He sighed, "Yeah, Liz kinda jumped on that faster than I thought she would when I threw it out there."

"Well, she's been alone with a baby for the last few weeks, that's exhausting, as you can very well imagine right now, I'm sure."

"Yep, don't need to imagine it," Luke chuckled, "But I didn't hate it. The dog watching me was creepy, but hanging out with Doula, calling you, and you coming home from work... it was nice. I mean, it's tiring, and when we're juggling Doula with our schedules tomorrow, it'll be a little crazy, but it doesn't make me want it any less than I did the other day, but... that doesn't mean I want you compromising on everything you want, either."

"Well, where's the middle ground then? Engaged and pregnant, but not married? And then where does that put wedding plans? Because I intend to be toasting with alcohol, some nice champagne, not sparkling cider."

"I didn't really consider that," Luke rubbed his chin. "Look, what if we just stick with this two week thing but instead of making a decision at the end of it, we just... talk about it more. Not toss out any contraceptives. And I don't think you're supposed to flush those, anyway."

"You're really, really okay with that? You seemed so dead set on this two nights ago."

"More okay with that than you seem to be about the idea of trying to get pregnant in two weeks. It's a compromise, Lorelai. You agreed to start talking about it, I'm agreeing to really think hard about the reality of it. Is that middle ground enough?"

"Is it middle ground enough for you?"

"Yes. For now, it's enough. You didn't answer my question."

"Then, yes." Lorelai was surprised the conversation had been that simple. Sometimes complicated situations didn't have to be as complicated as they felt - that whole communication issue again. She still needed to keep working on that. She was grateful, at least, that when she'd fallen into being afraid to talk again, Luke had been aware and reached out, instead of ignoring her obvious hesitation.

"I feel like we're supposed to shake on this or sign some official middle ground compromise document or something. Ooh," Lorelai picked up her fork and held it up. "Fork clink me, baby."

Luke snorted, and shook his head disbelievingly, but raised his fork and lightly tapped hers with it. "Satisfied?" She grinned and nodded. "Good. Now let's eat before Drool-a wakes up."

* * *

"That one, that one, and that one," Rory pointed to three separate photos.

"A part of your shoulder, arm, or face is in each of those, and that one I'd have to crop you out of anyway," Miles frowned as they sat behind his computer, looking through his photos of the day.

"I like that. It's like I'm there."

"Rory, it's your article, of course you're there," he rolled his eyes, "Go away, you're not supposed to be a part of this anyway."

"Hey, you asked for my opinion," she grumbled. "Moot point, anyway. Your editor's going to pick number twenty and Scott's gonna override her with number twenty-five. Which, by the way? That's my arm in that photo, and it's too close to crop out, so hah! My article's done and approved, the next one is outlined, and I'm out of here. Good night!" Rory shut her laptop and left the business center to head up to her hotel room.

On her way there, Rory checked the time on her phone, wondering if it was too late to call home. Not wanting to wake Luke up, she figured her mom's cell phone was a safer bet than the house phone.

"Hey, Rory, one sec and I'll get your mom," Luke's voice answered, and she heard a muffled yell, "You owe me, Lorelai, I told you it wasn't your mother!"

"Who is it?"

"Rory."

"Aww, now I feel lame for not answering. What do you win?"

Rory could hear him grinning widely through his words, "I'm not so much as touching a dirty dish tomorrow and you're cleaning out the refrigerator."

"Done. And it was my turn to clean out the fridge anyway, sucker. Hey, kid!" Lorelai's unmuffled voice called over the phone, "Why are you calling my cell instead of the house phone?"

"It's late and I didn't want to wake Luke up. I can't believe he's still up. It's almost midnight there."

"We were just about to get ready for bed. We've been downstairs having a wild Thursday night looking for Luke's keys."

"And did you find them?" Rory asked, dumping her laptop and bag on one of the beds and collapsing on the other.

"Yep. I think Doula hid them in a pile of Paul Anka's toys that wound up in his basket. Hey, don't throw that in with the dirty laundry, I'm sleeping in that."

Rory shook her head as she listened to the ensuing conversation.

"I wore that all day at the diner. It's dirty. The blue one you always wear is clean and in your pajama drawer. I know because I'm the one that moved it from the pile of clean laundry you left on the chair," she heard Luke grumble in the background.

"You weren't at the diner all day, and you can tell because it doesn't smell like fries, it still smells like you. Gimme."

Rory heard a scratching whooshing sound and assumed her mother's request had been fulfilled.

"Sorry, my man's trying to steal my pajamas, then he throws them at my face," Lorelai muttered.

"So rude," Rory chuckled. "So was Liz over or something?"

"No, we watched Doula for a few days so Liz could go visit TJ. She picked her up tonight."

"Geez, that empty nest syndrome hit you guys quick," Rory teased, then raised her eyebrows at the awkward chuckle her mother responded with. That was interesting, and certainly would be revisited.

"Hang on," Lorelai moved out of her chair and quickly changed into Luke's flannel, then gave him a quick kiss goodnight as she walked downstairs. "Okay, I'm back. How are things?"

"Good. You have a package on its way with stuff from Seattle. Which is totally on my list of places to live, by the way. I know it's far, but with all the coffee, it's worth the visit. And Miles is a Lorelai Gilmore level coffee addict, so we had a fun time comparing notes. I'm exploring Portland's beer scene tonight that way when you visit me, you can take a side trip here for Luke."

"That's very generous. Weird to hear about you actually going out and being social. Miles is a good influence, apparently." Lorelai began working on putting a tiny bit of order back to the living room after they'd all but torn it apart trying to find Luke's keys.

"Sheer coincidence. There's just more to do out here, so people are coming out of their caves more often. Miles actually doesn't go out and play much, but it's been fun tagging along to some of the other stuff he takes photos of. It's not stuff I'd focus on specifically in my stories, but it gives me... atmosphere, I guess, is one way of putting it."

"That's good. Tell me you're not venturing out alone tonight."

"Mom, come on. I'm not some naive freshman in college. Geez. There's a group of five of us heading out. We've been trying to celebrate my promotion and stuff, but we were so slammed in Seattle, none of us had time."

Lorelai smiled proudly, "I'm glad. I always worry you'll get too caught up in work and forget to have fun. I think that's one of the ways Logan was good for you. Kinda pulled you out of your bookish shell a little."

"He did do that. Maybe too well sometimes," Rory chuckled. "I still miss him a little. But I don't think we would've lasted if we'd stayed together. Or if I'd said yes. Makes it easier to heal, you know?"

There was something to that, Lorelai realized as she thought back to her breakups with Max and Christopher compared to both breakups with Luke. Even as long as their last separation had been, so much was buried that never healed. With Max and Chris, knowing both of those would have never been able to work out made it easier to move on.

"Yeah, I do," Lorelai replied softly, grateful that she hadn't had to figure out a way to completely get over Luke.

"Now that you don't have an audience, are you going to elaborate on your reaction to my empty nest comment?" Rory prodded.

"No," Lorelai collapsed onto the couch. "Tell me more about Seattle. Or Portland."

"I've told you all my Miles and Chen stories over email already. Aside from that, there was lots of coffee and even more work. That was Seattle. I'll have plenty of Portland stories after tonight, but I've still got awhile before I have those for you," Rory frowned. "Why are you being so evasive?"

"Because it's somewhere at the intersection of TMI and Luke's private business."

"Oh." Rory was reminded of her mom avoiding Luke relationship conversations shortly after she'd left for the campaign. She'd finally divulged that it was something they'd needed to go through without any input or pressure from anyone else. Rory had found she didn't much care for being left out of the loop. Empty nesting combined with TMI and Luke's private business sounded serious.

"Rory, there's stuff about you I don't talk to Luke about, either. More, probably."

"Are things okay? They sounded okay before."

"Yes. You don't need to worry about that. We're just... trying to get on the same page about a few things." Lorelai bit her lip and closed her eyes, then said quickly, "We've been talking about hitting the fast forward button on the kids thing."

"Ohhh," Rory was genuinely surprised, "But you said while I was there..."

"Yeah. That's..." Lorelai trailed off, then groaned, "See this is where it starts getting weird. This is new territory for me and I'm not sure where the boundaries are supposed to go."

"So you're, like... trying?" Rory asked.

"No. Talking about it. And I'm wondering if I'm being too rigid about the socially acceptable order of things."

"I'm more surprised Luke isn't the one being rigid about that... that's kind of a big thing to be on different pages about." Rory sat up and dug through her clothes. She grabbed a pair of jeans and a Stars Hollow High Track Team t-shirt Lorelai had purchased for both of them to amuse and annoy Luke. Rory planned on wearing it and posing for a photo with a beer for Luke. She frowned as she stared at it, "He's not... being... pushy about it, is he?"

"No, actually, he's been very open to talking about it. He doesn't want me to feel obligated, but it's..." Lorelai sighed, "It's complicated. We've been juggling watching Doula between work - who he now calls Drool-a by the way, as if her real name isn't bad enough - and y'know, it's not as hard to do as I expected. It all worked out pretty nicely. I can see it happening. And I want this too, just... ugh."

"Complicated indeed," Rory grimaced.

"Yeah."

"See? I was so much easier. Just make sure you tell my future sibling. Siblings? Whatever. Tell him or her or them that way too much thinking went into their existence and the oldest one is your favorite."

"I don't know, a little flannel-wearing clone of Luke would be pretty hard to compete with," Lorelai mused, grabbing a stuffed bear that had been missed when they'd gathered all of Doula's things to load up in Liz's car.

"Oh, but you haven't seen me in my Stars Hollow High Track Team shirt," Rory laughed. "Okay, Mom, I need to get ready. Good luck with... all that... grownup stuff."

"Yeah, good luck with all that beer stuff. Love you, kid."

She sighed heavily as Rory said goodbye and hung up, then stared at the flyer on the coffee table that had been the source of her stress all week. "A Weekend in the Country" - a one night only performance of the musical "A Little Night Music" at the Dragonfly Inn, all proceeds going to charity. There was a pre and post-show VIP area, and a fancier VIP package that made up the "weekend" aspect of it. The rooms were booked within minutes of the event going on sale, the VIP tickets within an hour, and the entire show was sold out before the end of the day.

Lorelai had spent all summer working on it, getting permits for it, dealing with contractors, debating with the committee on layouts and sizes for the stage, backstage, dressing areas, and VIP section. Patty had involved her in pitching the Dragonfly as one of the event's possible locations in order to help distract her from Rory's absence over the summer, and it had worked. Between that and working things out with Luke since June, she'd been pretty busy even with the extra staff she'd hired.

She was excited and extremely terrified about the outcome, given the magnitude of the event. They were two weeks out from the performance, and despite the long hours she'd been putting in the past week, so much was still up in the air. On her end, she had as much nailed down as she could, but dealing with a committee for the rest of it was nothing short of exhausting.

She flipped the flyer over and wondered if Luke was still awake. She'd barely seen him all week aside from the times they were rotating shifts with Doula, and after spending the last two months practically inseparable, she found herself missing him.

"Then what are you doing downstairs, idiot?" Lorelai muttered to herself. She checked the locks, turned off the lights, and made her way upstairs.

Luke was laying shirtless in the middle of the bed, one arm tucked behind his head with Paul Anka snuggled up next to him. He was lazily stroking the dog with his free hand. Lorelai paused at the foot of the bed to enjoy the view.

"Always with the staring," Luke smirked at her.

"You gotta warn a girl before you lay in bed half naked. Otherwise, she'll start assuming things."

"Your dog laid on my t-shirt and I gave up arguing," Luke moved his arm from behind his head and patted the space on the other side of him.

"I like you better this way," she grinned, running her fingertips lightly down his chest as she sat next to him, dangling one leg off the bed.

He quickly moved his hand over hers. "That tickles. How's Rory?"

"Raising a pint in your honor in Portland tonight," Lorelai placed the stuffed bear on his chest, "Princess Drool-a may be gone, but it looks like she wanted to make sure you weren't too lonely."

Luke chuckled, "It's still damp. That kid's a fountain."

"Just be grateful there's not a day full of screaming to accompany all that drool. Rory was miserable half the time at her age. It was like all her teeth came in at once, the poor thing."

Luke grimaced, "Overachiever. Jackson said it was like that for Davey, too. Martha handled it like a champ, though," he stroked the back of her hand that rested on his chest. "Weird how it's so different for each kid."

"You talked to Jackson about teething?"

"We ran into him at the park and she drooled down his shirt. He was completely unaffected." Luke moved the wet bear to his nightstand, tired of discussing his drooling niece.

"Scoot, bud," Lorelai gave Paul Anka a light shove, and he hopped off the bed. She grabbed Luke's shirt and tossed it back toward the dresser.

Luke glared at the dog as he watched him finally curl up in his own bed, then glanced at the spot the shirt had landed and frowned at Lorelai.

"The whole point of moving the dog was to get to the shirt."

"The whole point of moving the dog was to reclaim my space," she corrected him. "Now you scoot." Luke moved to his side and she sat on the bed, kneeling next to him. "And the shirt's stupid on warm nights like this, half the time you end up taking it off anyway, and elbowing me in the head."

"Maybe I'm trying to wake you up," he grinned flirtatiously.

Lorelai giggled and ran her hand up his chest as she laid down, sighing, "Sookie wasn't kidding about having a kid in your bedroom being a massive hinderance to one's favorite grownup activities."

"Having April and Rory in the house was enough of a hinderance," Luke muttered.

"You realize you'll have to get over that when we do have kids, right?" Lorelai poked his ribcage.

"We got around it with Rory and April," he argued.

"Yeah, the one afternoon you knew April wasn't in the house."

"Give me a break, woman, the whole thing was an adjustment period. Not my fault you're insatiable."

"Not my fault you lay in my bed looking like this," Lorelai jabbed him in the ribs one more time before he grabbed her hand and held it above her head as he rolled over on top of her.

"Yeah, because you make it so easy for me, crawling in bed in my flannel and nothing else.=," Luke growled, bending down to attack her neck.

She grinned as he moved his head back up to kiss her. She felt herself responding quickly, and as Luke freed her hand to move his own hand up the flannel, she remembered there were a few things she needed to talk about first. She had half a mind to wait until morning, but the other, more logical half won out for once.

"Ah, Luke, wait. Before we-" Lorelai groaned as his hand quickly freed the flannel's buttons, his lips quickly replacing the fabric. "Luke, seriously, one second."

Luke sighed into her sternum and rolled over onto his back with a groan of his own.

"Just two things," Lorelai sat up on her knees and pushed the flannel back together, securing it with a button across her chest, "First, end of week one. Aside from the hit to our sex life, what's going on in your head?"

He ran his hand over his face as he forced himself to focus. "Nothing's really changed. I think I get where you're coming from about us needing a bigger place, but... the scheduling worked out fine. The babysitters didn't need a babysitter despite an unusually busy work week." Luke shrugged, "I think we can handle having a kid."

Lorelai sensed hesitancy in his tone, "But?"

"That day I told you about the women flirting with me at the park?" She nodded, recalling he'd been oddly grumpy for a man in his forties who'd just been hit on by women half his age. "They blatantly checked for a wedding ring. Not having that... I dunno... it was a little weird that having Doula on my lap didn't stop them, but a wedding ring would've."

"Try going to the park at seventeen with a baby. No one's hitting on you, and the reaction to the lack of a ring is entirely different," Lorelai replied wryly, recalling the judgmental looks and feeling like Hester Prynne wearing her red letter as soon as people realized she was Rory's mother, not her babysitter.

Luke regarded her seriously, "Yeah. I hadn't really thought about that. It really shouldn't - and doesn't - matter what anyone else thinks, but it is a strange situation to be in. Something to consider." He was quiet for a moment, mindlessly drawing patterns on her leg with his finger. "That's... where I am, I guess, right now." He slowly slid his hand farther up her thigh. "You sure there are two things?"

"Yes," Lorelai stilled his hand with hers, resting it on top of his to prevent any further distractions. "So, that huge gig at the inn I've been working on organizing all summer?"

"Yeah."

"Well... it's completely sold out, there's a massive waiting list, and we're working with the organization to try and get Taylor to approve another permit so we can add even more seating. There's going to be some press, and the workers are showing up on Monday to start putting together the stage."

"Wow. Isn't this some little musical thing Patty got you roped into?"

"Luke, they're Broadway performers, this isn't a little musical thing... and it's a charity event that not even Emily Gilmore could get tickets to without going through me. I even donated half of the Dragonfly's seats back to them because they sold out so fast." Lorelai worried her lip between her teeth for a moment before continuing, "It's kind of the biggest thing that's ever happened at the inn. Possibly the biggest thing that ever _will_ happen."

"Are you asking me to go? I said I would when you mentioned it last time, and that was before I realized it was this big of a deal." Luke nudged her fingers with his.

"Well, I spent half my day freaking out about it and we're still two weeks out. I really need you there."

"I'll be there. You need me to do anything?"

"Rent a tux?" Lorelai asked, almost to the point of begging, "I know you hate that, but it's formal, and it's for charity, and-"

"I can rent a tux." Luke frowned at how relieved she looked by his response, "It's not my favorite piece of clothing, but if you want me there, I'm there." He paused, "Did you say two weeks?"

She nodded. "September eighth. Why?"

Luke's eyes widened slightly. "Nothing."

"The only thing that's been on the calendar downstairs has been this. For weeks. Did you forget to add something?"

"Nope. Just weird to see September arriving so quickly."

Lorelai's brows knit together slightly as she watched his face. "Okay."

"Don't worry about it. I'll be there, in a tux, escorting the lovely owner of the establishment." Luke moved his hand out from under hers and slid the button on the flannel free again. "I will do my part to keep her sufficiently distracted."

"I think your methods of distraction might be a little inappropriate for a formal charity event," she said, grinning as he sat up to kiss her heatedly.

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _"Still no proposal?!" the readers cry._

 _"But they are talking about big things and that is a very important step," JCH explains with a knowing smile. "Bear with me, dear friends, I promise you a fun weekend."_


	19. Preparations

**Chapter 19: Preparations**

Lorelai pulled up behind Luke's truck and noticed light coming from the garage. After shutting off the ignition, she walked over and found him leaning forward on his elbows, the sounds of a baseball game coming from his ancient little television placed on a table beside him.

"Didn't realize you still had that thing," she nodded to the TV, pulling her cardigan around her a little more tightly in the chilly night air. She smirked a little as she saw Paul Anka curled up on a pile of blankets that Luke had clearly placed there for the dog. "Whatcha workin' on?"

Luke grabbed the last bottle of beer from the bucket of ice next to him, popped it open, and handed it to her. She took it and moved next to him, noticing one of the diner tables sitting in front of him with what seemed to be a fresh coat of paint and varnish covering it.

"One of the tables that damn car took out last summer. I forgot about it and finally started working on giving it new life. I forgot what I'm supposed to do with myself when you're gone all day and there's no Princess Drool-a to take care of," he chuckled.

"Aww. Looks almost new," Lorelai nodded appreciatively, taking a long, slow swig of beer. "You about done out here?"

"Been done awhile, but the game started getting interesting. And then... it started sucking," Luke sighed, turning off the TV. He stood and motioned to Paul Anka, "Come on, fuzzball." They headed back into the house, and Luke kicked back on the couch, sliding his boots off.

"You wanna see the end?" Lorelai asked, pointing to the TV.

Luke shook his head, "I know how it's gonna end. Too depressing. You didn't stop by today. How insane is it over there?"

"Pretty crazy. I did have to step away for a bit today, though, which is why I didn't stop by for lunch," Lorelai said, taking a deep breath. She walked over to her purse on the table near the entryway, and retrieved a plastic container from it.

"What's that?" he asked, catching it as she threw it to him. He popped it open and looked down at the array of pills he'd become familiar with over the last few years. "Why are you handing me-"

"Followup appointment with Dr. Grant, and I'm almost out of those." Lorelai plopped down on the couch next to him, taking one more draw from her beer before setting it on the coffee table.

"Yeah?" Luke asked nervously. "Wait, followup?"

Lorelai nodded, "I wanted to make sure we could even have a kid. Or, at least, there was nothing obvious on my end that might give any cause for concern before we jump into anything. Now or later."

"And?"

"From the tests she ran, it seems the only obvious things in our way are in a drawer upstairs and in your hands." She kicked her shoes off and pulled her knees in front of her as she faced him.

"Huh," Luke nodded, looking at the plastic container in thought. Such small pills for such a big job; he'd never really given it much thought before. He snapped it shut and slid it onto the coffee table.

"We, uh, kinda passed that two week mark without talking about... anything," Lorelai pointed out, sliding her feet under his leg.

"In the past week, I've seen you once for dinner at the diner, and every other day for a to-go cup of coffee. The most time we've spent together is when we're asleep."

"I know," she said, looking at him apologetically. "Preparing for this event while also managing the daily goings-on at the inn has been tough. But if you wanted to talk, I would've made time, you know that."

"I do. Which is why I didn't say anything because I know your event is a little more important at the moment." Luke ran his hand up and down her calf and smiled understandingly.

"It's not more important at all, it's just-"

"Lorelai, I get it. It's okay. Stop trying to rationalize it to me," he squeezed her calf, "I promise."

Lorelai nodded, "So...?"

"So, I think it's probably not the best time to talk about it when it's the first time in several days we've managed to be in the same room, while awake, for more than ten minutes without Kirk listening in," Luke grinned wryly.

"You're still okay with..." she gestured to the pills on the coffee table.

"Probably a good idea for the time being."

Lorelai nodded, reaching for her beer, and finishing it off.

"What are _you_ thinking?" Luke asked.

"I'm confused." She frowned at her empty bottle and leaned over to put it back on the coffee table. "I've been all over the place with it. One day, I drove home and all I could think about was the idea of coming home and what things would be like if we had a kid or two. And then I walked in the door and I was so tired, I tripped up the stairs and barely remember changing into pajamas. I didn't even think to let the dog out."

"You wouldn't have needed to. Dog's been fine spending time with me," Luke shrugged.

"I noticed. He's barely greeted me. Of course, if you piled five blankets on top of each other when I lay on the floor, I'd like you the best, too."

Luke snorted, "Three blankets, and if you're laying on the floor, it probably wasn't planned... but I bet you'd be pretty happy and still like me the best."

"True," Lorelai grinned. "You should flirt like that more often. Might find more opportunities to throw me on a pile of blankets." She looked over at Paul Anka, whose head was laying on Luke's foot on the floor. She yawned and readjusted, laying down with her head on Luke's lap as she reached down to rub Paul Anka's head. The dog wagged his tail and reached up to lick her hand before resting his head back in its spot. She smiled, "He's looking awfully attached."

"You're looking awfully exhausted." Luke replied, running his fingers through her hair.

"I don't know how we're gonna pull this off," she muttered. "I don't know why I let Patty talk me into this. It's just too big."

"You opened the inn, practically on your own, this is nothing compared to that."

Lorelai rolled over on her back to look up at him, frowning, "Not on my own. Not even practically on my own. You of all people should know that."

"I just helped with some money, and a lot of coffee, that's not a big deal."

"It _was_ a big deal, and not just because of the money and coffee. You helped me strategize from the beginning. You were there for a shoulder squeeze or fifty when I'd be working in the diner and stressing out. Sookie may have gotten distracted with Davey toward the end, but she did a fair amount of work before that. Michel, for as much as we gripe about him, was instrumental in making hundreds of phone calls that I didn't have to. I wouldn't have even gotten the idea of opening my own place, and would have never gone to business school without Rory's urging," Lorelai smiled a little, thinking back to Rory's excitement back when she'd decided to go back to school. "That inn has no less than a hundred names who deserve some credit for its existence. And I may have had a huge hand in it, but it wasn't alone."

"And without your hand, the rest of those people wouldn't have been involved with it, either," Luke continued his argument.

"So it's... symbiotic, then. But still not a solo effort." When Luke didn't throw back a followup argument, she moved on, "Anyway this event... it's pushing all of us to the brink of insanity. Sookie's having a rough time with the manager for the catering company we had to bring in to help, trying to get a workable menu in order. This stage is massive, our current guests are grumpy about the construction despite our most sincere apologies and reminders that it's for a charity event that's raising more money than the inn itself is even worth."

"People are assholes," Luke grumbled. Lorelai nodded, yawned again, and reached up to rub her temples. Luke frowned, seeing how tired she looked, "You wanna go to bed?"

"Not yet. Comfy here. Not ready to trade your leg pillow for your chest pillow."

Luke chuckled, shaking his head, and she smiled up at him. It was moments like these Lorelai could see what Luke had seen: the two of them settled down with a kid or two, juggling their family life and businesses, but still managing to kick back at night on the couch with a beer. She knew what she wanted. The question was when. And house, car, and kids aside, she, too, was starting to wonder what they were waiting for. She knew Luke wanted to propose this time, but if this went on much longer, she was perfectly content to take matters into her own hands once again.

* * *

"Rory."

"Shh."

"I just have one question," Miles whispered across the aisle of the bus as he leaned forward to talk to Rory. Her brows were knitted together as she focused on her article, trying to find the right words.

Miles was a pest, she'd decided a week ago. Rory had just found a good rhythm with her new whirlwind lifestyle when it was interrupted by the very surprising mini-vacation back to Stars Hollow. When she'd returned, it was with another reporter and a photographer whose presence she had to learn to adjust to. After Chen flew back to Connecticut, she had to readjust again. She seemed to cross paths with Miles a lot at night when they were both working. It was the time of day when she most wanted to be alone to focus, and he was always around unless she was working in her room.

He liked to see where Rory was headed with a story long before she'd even let Scott read it. Miles had explained it was so he knew what he was looking for in terms of photographs. Rory found this irritating and would only share tidbits, which tended to leave Miles constantly fishing for more information. Her favorite moments on the bus used to be when she had nothing to work on, didn't need to sleep, and could relax quietly and enjoy some alone time. She couldn't remember the last time that happened.

"You said you had one question five questions ago," Rory growled. She slapped her notebook down on her lap and looked over at him expectantly. "Last question. And then I'm putting on my headphones and I'm ignoring anything other than a circus act down the aisle."

Miles glanced up the aisle of the bus and shrugged, "Aisle's a bit narrow, but I could probably manage a few handsprings."

Rory rolled her eyes, "I'm sure you could. Your question?"

"Which tie from yesterday makes for a better photo? It's almost the same picture, but the tie changes things a little. You've seen what I wear, fashion isn't my thing," Miles passed his laptop over the aisle as she glared at him.

"Miles, are you kidding me? Either of these is fine. No one's going to care about the tie." She squinted at the screen a little, "The one on the right."

Miles smirked. "I thought no one cares."

She sighed, "I'm pretty sure my ex has that tie, which means it's expensive, and this photo was taken in that little town in Nevada that's broke. I could see Luke wearing the other one, which means it's probably more relatable, and you won't run the risk of a fashion blog reporting on something Obama wore in an economically challenged town, even if the tie was donated."

"Oh, so people are going to care about the tie, after all."

"Headphones going on now," Rory shot him another glare before pulling her iPod out of her bag and pushing the ear buds into her ears.

She reached for her phone to check the time and noticed a few text messages from April had managed to come through despite the spotty signal.

 _:: Rory! Dad trying to get ahold of you. I think he has ring news!_

 _:: ! THERE IS RING NEWS !_

 _:: Jamie called house phone. Lied to Mom about who he was. Think Dad will let us hang out over xmas?_

Rory chuckled at the last one. Fat chance. She checked her voicemail, but after a few seconds, the call ended, and her signal was, once again, out of range. She slid her phone into her pocket, hit the play button on her iPod, and went back to writing.

Twenty minutes later, Rory caught sight of a lens pointed in her direction from across the aisle. She decided no matter what hideous photos Miles managed to snap, she was going to continue ignoring him. Soon enough, she stopped noticing his antics entirely, and grew completely immersed in her work until she hit a stopping point.

Just as she let herself lean her head against the back of her seat to nap, she felt a slight tug on her earbud and immediately shot her hand up to smack the intruder. "Miles, you are worse than my mom."

"You like your mom."

Rory opened her eyes to find him leaning over the seat in front of her, his head resting on his fist. "I do, but if she were any worse, I wouldn't. And you're worse. What do you need now?"

"I'm bored."

"You've been bored all day. I'm tired. Go back to your seat."

"This is my seat."

"I thought that was your seat," she gestured to the one adjacent to hers on the other side of the aisle.

"It was, but then I got bored over there, and decided to check out this seat. It's a little more exciting on this side of the bus," Miles pointed out the window.

Rory turned to look, but as she did, she saw something blue holding his hair in a short, stubby ponytail.

"You stole my hair tie."

"Correction, you left it on the table of the diner. My hair kept falling into my sundae after you left, so I grabbed it."

"Then get a hair cut," she muttered. He pulled the hair tie out of his hair and tossed it to her.

Rory rolled her eyes, handed it back to him, and glanced out the window at the mountains lit by the moonlight.

"It's only _slightly_ more interesting than your side." She slid down in her seat, and pulled her knees up to rest against the seat in front of her, folding her arms across her chest, "If you're gonna bug me, I'm gonna need a story."

"Nah," he replied, wrapping the piece of elastic back around his hair, "You talk. Tell me about Stars Hollow," Miles grinned widely.

"I've told you about Stars Hollow."

"What's the latest?"

Rory thought for a moment, "April texted me and said there's engagement ring news."

"Ooh, you think ol' man Luke's gonna propose soon?" Miles asked, and Rory cackled at his name for Luke.

"Ol' man Luke? Miles, what exactly do you see in your head when I talk about Luke?"

"Remember the owner of that diner in... ugh, I don't even remember what city that was now. Either northern Nevada or southern Oregon?"

"Ooh, Eddie?!"

"Yeah! The short fat guy with the white hair, one gold tooth, but missing half the rest?" Miles waited for Rory to nod. "In my head, that's Luke's twin brother."

Rory snorted and couldn't stop the wave of giggles that racked her body as she covered her face with her hands, "Luke would so hate you right now."

"Well, fix my mental image, then."

"Luke's like my mom's age."

"So... maybe... around... fifty? What?" Miles laughed at Rory's shocked face.

"Well, now my mom hates you. I think Luke turns forty-two in November. My mom's only thirty nine."

"Ohhhh. Wow. All your stories have to be completely redrawn in my head now. So he's still got color in his hair and still has most of his teeth?"

"Oh, good grief." Rory pulled her camera out of her backpack and scrolled through to a picture of her mom atop Desdemona as she and Luke gazed at each other. She'd managed to sneak it in just before they'd left to go for the walk, while the two of them were being nauseatingly sappy with each other. She passed the camera to Miles.

"Wow. Nothing like Eddie."

"Yeah, not quite," Rory smirked.

She watched him scroll through a few more photos.

"You look like your mom," Miles noted as he handed it back. "So they're getting engaged, you think?"

"Again, yes. Sooner than later, by the sounds of things."

"Again?" Miles asked, confused.

Rory gave him the Cliffs Notes version of her mother's relationship with Luke.

"And they'll probably have a kid or two in the next few years, which is going to be weird, because I'm probably going to miss most of it," she sighed.

"Awfully happy little family waiting for you back there, Gilmore," Miles baited her, "Sure you don't want to settle down with a nice boy from Stars Hollow and raise a few babies? Just think of the Christmas photo. You and your mom and your kids growing up together."

Rory wrinkled her nose, "First of all, ew. Freaky to think about. I'm still getting used to the idea of my mom and Luke having kids at all. And second, I could've easily had that if I'd wanted it." She thought back to Dean and the life he might've hoped to have with her, which inevitably made her think of Logan and what he would've wanted. Both were lives that she never would've been able to settle for.

"She says so humbly," Miles chuckled, "What happened there?"

"Ah, another story for another time. Your turn, bucko. My mama's drama alone has gotta cover at least three different countries worth of tales."

"Fine," he sighed. "Move your backpack and I'll indulge your international whims." Rory moved her stuff to the spot below her feet and Miles settled into the seat next to her. "Where would you like to travel tonight, Ms. Gilmore?"

* * *

"Hello?"

"Luke! Can you hear me?"

"Rory? I can hear you fine," Luke glanced around the diner and quickly bolted upstairs. "You have a second to talk? I tried getting ahold of you yesterday-"

"Yeah, cell signal's been spotty. I had enough to download three text messages from April and that was it. I think we've entered civilization again, though."

"I figured; it's been awhile since we've heard from you. How are things on the road?" Luke glanced at the old day planner that sat on his desk. It had served as a ledger of sorts - a way to document important events for the diner: deliveries, the dates orders were placed, important closing and/or opening notes, and the like. It was from September 2004 and he'd looked through it at least a thousand times over the last few weeks.

September 8:  
7:30 - _Date with Lorelai Sniffy's.  
_ _John closing._

September 9:  
 _Cesar opening? Just in case..._

Luke could vividly remember writing it down. He'd felt awkward putting it on paper; it had seemed so contrived. The following afternoon, however, when he'd opened the book to jot down that Cesar had indeed opened, he'd done so with a ridiculous grin as he added:

 _Cesar opened; buy coffeemaker, keep some coffee stocked upstairs._

He sighed as he looked at the date for the millionth time over the last few days, and shut the book. It was just cruel that Lorelai's event had to coincide with that date. He was just going to have to work with it.

"Pretty good... nothing too exciting to speak of... though if April's texts are to be believed, that is not the case back in Stars Hollow?" Rory unlocked the door to her latest hotel room and threw her bag on the bed, cringing at the excessive bounce it made. As she sat and confirmed its low score on her comfort scale, she pouted at the thought of another restless night. The bus was more comfortable than this place.

"Uh, well. I just, uh..." Luke rubbed his forehead with his hand. He hadn't been this nervous the five million times he'd run it through his head. "The ring will be ready next week."

" _Mom's_ ring?"

He sat in his office chair, grumbling, "Is there any other ring I'd be calling about?"

"No, no, sorry. Just getting my facts straight," the reporter responded.

"Right. Uh. So, I had originally planned on, uh, waiting. Y'know until later this year. Maybe the first snow or something."

"Always a good option," Rory nodded.

"But, that's... longer than I want to wait," Luke admitted awkwardly.

"I've heard... whisperings to that effect."

Luke grimaced slightly, wondering what Lorelai had said, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable; he knew the two of them talked, but he'd never come face to face with Rory knowing quite so much. He tried to focus on the matter at hand.

"Uh, so... I... I promised you I'd call before anything happened. And it should be here on the eighth. And, well, I... uh... would officially like to ask you for your permission to marry your mother."

"Aw, Luke!" Rory grinned. She couldn't believe he was asking her, and took a moment, feeling her heart swelling at the gesture. "You said marry, not just propose, right?" she teased, though allowed a hint of seriousness to enter her voice. Luke wasn't likely to get any opposition from her, so she figured it was only fair to make him work for it a little. A reminder that engagements were meant to lead to weddings couldn't hurt.

"I did. No derailments this time no matter what comes up."

"Then, yes, you absolutely have my permission," she'd tried to keep her voice serious, but failed as the massive smile spreading across her face was evident in her tone, "I can't believe you actually just asked me that, I just wanted to know when you were gonna do it. When April texted me earlier that there was ring news, I was a little worried you'd already done it and the voicemails I was just about to listen to were you guys telling me you were engaged."

"No, definitely wanted to talk to you first. And I would've asked you before if your mom hadn't beaten me to the punch. Especially after how I told you last time."

"Well, thank you. Was April excited?"

Luke chuckled, "Ecstatic might be a more accurate term, I think."

"I bet. One more question and I will pretend I know nothing. What was the deal with the ring? What is it you were having done, exactly?" Rory asked, feeling like she'd been waiting forever to hear what had happened with the item her mother had finally given up searching for.

"She'll have to tell you about that. Or send photos. We finally found the cable that connects her camera to her computer, so I'm sure you'll be annoyed by the size of your inbox soon enough."

"I look forward to it," Rory looked at the time and sighed, kicking the uncomfortable bed lightly, "I have about twenty minutes to freshen up from bus stink, and get over to the town hall here, so I'm gonna let you go. I can't wait to hear all the details."

"I'm sure she'll call immediately after. Bye, Rory."

Luke hung up and let out a sigh of relief. He knew Rory wouldn't tell him she couldn't marry her mother, but he _had_ expected a harsher ribbing over their last failed engagement. That she was having a hard time maintaining a serious tone at all helped him feel a little more sure that he wasn't rushing this. If there was one person who'd let him know, it was Rory.

Luke thought back to the last few weeks. He'd been more relieved than disappointed when Lorelai had told him she needed more time to think about starting a family with him. It was honest, and although he'd had to pull it out of her initially, she did still tell him, and conversations about it had been a lot more open after that. Oddly, as a result, it made him less interested in just starting a family, and more interested in planning their _entire_ future.

It almost felt fated when Amos called to confirm the ring would be done on the eighth. As Luke consulted his old calendars to try and find a good proposal idea, he'd been unable to get away from the fact that their first date had _also_ been on the eighth. It seemed perfect, and his mind was filled with a litany of proposal ideas... until later that night when Lorelai had reminded him that the eighth was also the night of the event she'd put so much of her energy into planning.

He was relieved to officially have Rory's stamp of approval, but trying to plan the actual proposal was driving him crazy. Luke knew he could simply pick a better date if he wished, but he was tired of waiting. It was time, and he knew once he had the ring in his hand, he wouldn't be able to last an entire day before returning it to its rightful owner.

* * *

Luke pulled the truck up in front of Amos Yardley's house and took a deep breath. Now that the day had arrived, he was suddenly second guessing every single decision he'd made about September eighth. Lorelai had been a nervous wreck all week, and he was pretty sure the increased caffeine intake and lack of sleep weren't helping her nerves at all.

Of course, her nervousness was compounding his own, putting them both on edge. As a result, several small arguments had blown up between them over the last few days, and they'd been wary and a little awkward around each other that morning - not quite the feeling Luke was hoping to bring to a marriage proposal.

"Hey, Luke, come on in, you want some tea?" the older gentleman called out from his porch.

Luke smiled as he walked up the steps, "I'll pass on the tea, I've gotta get back before the lunch rush hits. This big event at the inn has a ton of people in town and we've been slammed all day; lunch is going to be a madhouse."

"Ah, well! Sit over here, I'll be back with it in a few minutes. Gonna run back into my workshop and clean it up one more time so it's nice and shiny for ya."

Luke walked into the warm, welcoming house and took the chair Amos offered him at the kitchen table. Amos's wife, Marie smiled at him, "It turned out beautifully, Luke, I think you'll be pleased. You excited?"

"Nervous, actually."

Marie raised an eyebrow, "You've been together for awhile now, haven't you?"

"Uh, it's a little complicated to explain. I don't doubt her answer, my plan for the night has been bounced around a few times and I'm really not sure how or when I'm doing this. Last time it was a little... oddly timed... and I want this to be a little more... uh... deliberate, I guess."

"Amos proposed to me at dog park, sweetheart. I remember your face every time you talked to her behind our booth during those seven weeks in Maine. Whatever the last few years have seen you through, you give her that face, and it's not gonna matter where you do it, she'll melt in your arms."

Luke looked down self-consciously, chuckling, "Thanks, Marie. You miss the booth?"

"Not at all. And Amos has been sending some pieces over to Liz and TJ to sell for us at the trade shows. Tried to offer her a small percentage for the sale, but she refused. The arrangement works well, and it's nice to be finally making ourselves a permanent home after all these years."

"It's very nice," Luke nodded, "Warm and cozy. Reminds me of a little of Lorelai and I's place."

Marie smiled, "Thank you, I quite like it."

"My face? I like yours too," Amos grinned at his wife as he entered the room with a familiar velvet box. "Here you are, Luke. I'll finish the wedding bands in another week or two." He sat down and handed Luke a soft rag to handle the ring so as not to smudge it.

Luke opened the box slowly and shook his head. "Amos, this... wow..."

"Not bad, huh? Your sister should be doing more of this type of thing. The design is gorgeous."

Luke nodded, "The work that went into it is, too." He turned the box a little, letting the diamonds catch the sunlight from the kitchen window before he used the rag to pick it up and look at it more closely. "Amos, I have to pay you for this."

Amos shook his head, "Your sister sells my stuff at her booth for free, plus you helped us out _while_ helping out Liz and TJ a few years back, _and_ you've brought us lunch countless times. I'll charge you for the wedding bands since those are new, but not this. Just keep every promise the rings represent and we'll call it even."

Luke caught his friend's serious look briefly before staring back down at the ring in deep thought. Amos had no knowledge of Luke and Lorelai's recent history, the pain and betrayals. He spoke only as a man who'd seen many a ring exchanged, and many a marriage fail. Part of this ring held the promises made between Luke's parents, who'd stood by each other's side until death truly did part them. It was a contrast to the other part of the ring whose past was a reminder of how easy it was to hurt the one person you needed the most.

Amos clapped Luke's shoulder with his hand, "Oh, son. I think if you take it that seriously already, you'll be just fine." Luke saw Marie nod behind Amos, and he smiled at them gratefully.

"I do take it that seriously. Thank you both for this."

Amos drew Luke in for a hug, and Marie sent him off with a quick kiss to the cheek.

Once back in the truck, Luke shoved the box into his pocket and drove to the tuxedo rental shop, his nervousness rising steadily as he wracked his brain trying to figure out how to pull this off.

* * *

 _Author's Note: Although it may be September in "Defining All In" land, it's June 3rd in the real world. Since this was a date that was not meant to be because of silly contractual things that should not have affected our beloved characters *cough*, I see this as our fandom's very own dark day. As such, I shall attempt to counteract the woe by posting the next two chapters later today. ;D Maybe we'll get a revival release date, too. Yeah, probably not. Whatever. See you later. ;)_


	20. The Glamorous Life

**Chapter 20: The Glamorous Life**

"Luke! Coffee! Stat!" Lorelai called from her seat at the counter. Luke frowned and walked over, grabbing the coffee pot on the way. Sensing urgency, he filled her mug first, then leaned over for a quick hello kiss.

"Sorry, didn't see you get in." He took in her wild-eyed expression, "How much have you had already?"

"None, we're out at home, and I haven't even made it to the kitchen at work yet today." She gestured to herself, "This is pure, uncaffeinated panic. Once the caffeine has hit, I'll have it more under control."

"Panic? Why?" Luke asked distractedly.

Lorelai's eyes widened and her voice went frighteningly quiet, "Luke. The event tonight? Please tell me you didn't forget."

Luke was mortified. Of course he hadn't forgotten. The box in his pocket was distracting him to the point of losing his mind. After the arguments over the past week and way they'd been tip-toeing around each other that morning, this was the last thing she needed on the day of her big show.

"No! Geez, sorry. I'm just… dumb today. I picked up my tux earlier, it's in the closet at home next to your dress. I'm leaving here in plenty of time to get home, shower, change, and escort you there."

"Okay," she breathed a huge sigh of relief. "That's actually why I'm stopping here now. I'm heading back home to pick up my stuff on the way back to the inn because I'm not going to have time to change at home. I'll meet you at the Dragonfly instead."

Luke quickly looked down at his order pad, pretending to jot something down. He felt the panic hit him like a bucket of ice water. Nothing he'd had in mind was going to work. He'd had this very date in mind for several weeks, and everything in the universe had lined up to get in the way. He was getting the tiniest taste of how Lorelai had felt about June third.

"Uh, sure, okay," he gnawed his lip as he looked over at her nervously.

Lorelai looked up, misjudging the reason for his nervous expression, and gave him a small, apologetic smile as she met his eyes and spoke quietly, "Luke, I'm sorry I've been a basket case the last few days." She reached over and gently took his hand, "I've had a to-do list a mile long, and every day there have been a hundred last minute changes. I'm sorry if it hasn't seemed like it, but I'm really, really glad you're going to be there tonight."

"We've both been on edge. I know I should've been more supportive this week, and I'm sorry I haven't really been there for you."

"You've been busy, too," Lorelai gestured around the busy diner and sighed, "I'll make it up to you tonight, I swear."

"Me too," Luke smirked, pressing his leg against the counter and feeling the box press back against his thigh.

Lorelai raised an eyebrow and Luke suddenly realized what he'd just implied to every patron at the counter which, while not inaccurate, was not quite what he meant. Lorelai grinned at him flirtatiously as he felt his cheeks burn, "I'll hold you to that."

"We okay, then?" he asked.

"Always." She pointed to the to-go cups behind him, "One for the road, please?"

"Mother fucking... mother fucker." Sookie said matter-of-factly as she stared at the Dragonfly Inn's dining room, which had turned into the chaotic staging area for the VIP pre-show dinner.

"Uh, everything okay?" Lorelai asked as she weaved her way around tables upon tables of endless trays in an attempt to get from one end of the room to the other. Sookie's sudden potty mouth was a sign of how stressed they'd all been, as her friend was normally one to cloak swear words in ridiculous euphamisms.

"Yes. That's what's freaking me out! I have nothing left to do! Something's gonna go terribly wrong, I can just tell. Wow, your hair looks amazing," Sookie gazed at her friend, tugging one of her own ponytails self-consciously.

"That's what I was coming to tell you since you won't answer your cell phone," Lorelai grinned, "Come with me upstairs."

"I love you, but I'm married." Sookie giggled, "Why are you taking me upstairs?"

"I made sure a room was reserved for staff so we'd have a place to escape to before everything picks up. And Cindy's waiting to make _your_ hair pretty too."

Sookie gasped excitedly, "Wow, really?! I can't believe you had time to set that up!"

"Sookie, this is either going to be one of the most amazing nights of our lives, or it's going to fail spectacularly. Our men are all pretty in tuxes, and if it's gonna fail, we are all going to look smashing as we go down with it. Now come on, you've either been in the kitchen working, or dealing with that catering company all day. I want you to be able to have fun the rest of the evening."

Sookie followed her up the stairs, "Speaking of, you should've delegated more, Lorelai. You should be spending tonight celebrating, too. That's what Gabby's here for."

"I'll celebrate plenty," Lorelai pushed open the door to room seven and ushered Sookie in. She moved to the bathroom and listened to Sookie update Cindy on the kids. When Lorelai finished with her makeup and changed, she grabbed her shoes, waved to her friends, and quickly rushed back downstairs. She found Luke at the front desk talking to Justine who was animatedly telling him about all the Broadway stars she'd met so far. Lorelai smirked, knowing Luke had no idea who she was talking about.

She reached down to put her heels on, and gave herself a moment to admire Luke. The man could wear anything, everything, or nothing, and manage to look sexy as hell. She glanced over to see Justine beaming at her.

"Lorelai, you look absolutely stunning."

Luke turned then, and Lorelai felt goosebumps break out over her arms at the intensely heated look he gave her. She smiled back, her eyes sparkling.

"You look incredible," he managed to utter roughly, moving the few steps toward where she stood at the base of the stairs.

"Thank you," she smoothed a hand over Luke's chest, pausing to tug his lapel flirtatiously, "Luke, you-"

"Lorelai! Oh thank goodness!" Kyle, one of the stage managers, bolted into the lobby through the doors of the dining room. "You're desperately needed. Frederika accidentally stepped on Desiree's skirt and the damn thing ripped. I don't know where wardrobe took off to, but they're not backstage. Patty mentioned you're good with a needle and thread, this needs a delicate touch, and-"

"Ah, yeah, I-" Lorelai gave Luke an apologetic look, "I'll meet you at the table in the back near the sound booth. Tell the ushers you're with me and they'll know where to go." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, which he barely had time to return before she quickly slipped off her heels again. She grabbed them along with the bottom of her gown, and followed Kyle. The two sprinted outdoors, rushing to the curtained backstage area.

Luke sighed and rubbed his chin, trying to sort out, once again, how to pull off a proposal amidst the unexpected levels of chaos.

Justine gestured, sticking her thumb over her shoulder.

"Luke, get out there. That's the first time Lorelai's genuinely smiled all night. Hell, all week. She's either been running around like crazy or trying not to panic."

"What's the likelihood of her having like... ten minutes to spare?"

"Knowing Lorelai? Intermission's probably your best bet. What's up?"

Luke worked his jaw, thinking. "Nothing. I guess I'll head out there, then. You gonna go watch?"

Justine shook her head, "This is my post for the night. I got to see rehearsal, and I get to usher several drunk industry people to their rooms, limos, and private cars when this is all over. Fodder for my memoirs. There's no people like show people, Luke."

"You bring your headshots?" he smirked.

She grinned widely, reaching under the front desk, and held up a glossy 8x10 inch photograph with her resume stapled to the back. "Don't tell Michel."

"Not likely. I'll see you later."

Luke managed to find the spot Lorelai had indicated near the sound booth without requiring any assistance from the busy ushers, and whistled quietly through his teeth as he took in the crowd and full orchestra tuning their instruments on the stage.

"Gorgeous spot for this," the sound guy nodded to Luke. "You been here before?"

Luke nodded, "I'm here with the owner of the place."

"Ah, the boyfriend slash Red Sox fan," the younger man grinned and held out his hand, "I'm Chad. Fellow Sox fan. Lorelai's mentioned you a few times the past week."

"Luke," he shook Chad's hand, "So how long until intermission, exactly?"

Chad laughed, "Not much for the theatre, huh?"

"Well..."

"Luke, it's Sondheim!"

"Oh, well sure," Luke chuckled, "Yeah, I have no idea what that means."

Chad shook his head, "Well, it's not your typical cheesy musical theatre. You might enjoy it. Good show. Hell of a cast, too. If I don't completely screw up the audio, we might get a recording out of it. Something always seems to jinx these charity events, though. We did a production of Chess a few years back..."

Chad stopped, noticing Luke's lack of interest as his head jerked around, clearly searching the crowds for Lorelai. He smirked, "She's probably gonna be a few minutes. My boyfriend does makeup back there. Sounds like they really tore the crap outta that dress."

Luke grimaced and fiddled with his cuffs, "Do we get chairs back here?"

Chad gave him a funny look, "Of course not, were you thinking you'd be watching it from back here?"

"Yeah, I know Lorelai gave her seats up figuring she wouldn't have time to sit and watch it anyway, and she sent me here."

"Nah, you've got... seats. No fun to sit back here for the show, though. Too distracting," Chad motioned to his dimly lit soundboard and laptop.

Luke nodded and tried to relax a little. He ran his hand over the pocket the ring was in one more time.

"Lucas Danes, you handsome devil, you," Patty leered, her navy blue gown shimmering as she approached. "I never thought I'd see you in a tux, but my my, this goes far beyond what I dreamt."

"Don't dream about me, Patty," Luke grumbled.

"Yeah sure, honey," she laughed. "Lorelai's just about done back there. Can't even tell the damn thing tore. I would've killed to have her in wardrobe back in my day." She noticed the blonde man in the booth and shouted, "Ah, Chad!"

"Lovely to see you again, Patty," Chad bent forward and kissed her cheek, "You look beautiful tonight."

"Thank you, sweetheart. I still can't believe this all came together. When it was first mentioned to me it was less than half this size. This easily fit twice as many people than the Delacorte would've held. And we actually got to make an entire weekend out of it, which is far more appropriate for an event named 'A Weekend in the Country'," Patty gushed. "Well, I'm going to go see about getting one of those dashing ushers to take me to my seat. Make 'em sound pretty, Chadley. And Luke, make sure Lorelai enjoys herself a little when she gets back. I don't know what else she thinks she needs to be doing, but she should be relaxing and enjoying the show. Bye, boys," Patty winked and walked back toward the start of one of the aisles.

"How do you know Patty?" Luke asked, trying to think of anything other than the contents of his pocket.

"Oh, we go way back. I was Patrick when we did Mame a million years ago in Provin-" he paused, recalling who he was talking to, "Uh, we co-starred in a show together when I was a kid. But we run into each other at events like this all the time."

"But this is the first event like this I think Stars Hollow's ever had."

"Yeah, but not the first Broadway charity event Patty's been involved in. She's on the board and manages to make it into almost every committee for these shows." Chad leaned back toward his soundboard, pulling on a headset and speaking something Luke couldn't hear into the mic. After a few minutes, he turned to Luke again, "Starting here in a few. Lorelai's on her way."

Luke nodded, forcing himself to relax a little. The lights flashed and a disembodied voice began encouraging everyone to take their seats and turn off their phones. As the lights dimmed and Lorelai was nowhere to be found, Luke sighed and looked around for two empty seats, wondering where Lorelai had intended for them to sit.

The lights went up on the stage, the crowd cheered, and Luke slowly started walking back toward the inn, scouting the surrounding areas for Lorelai.

Gabby almost ran into him with a panicked look on her face.

"Luke? Oh my god, I need your help. Kirk's trying to badger Justine up front to let him in so he can watch from back stage. Lorelai said to grab her if anyone so much as saw him get within twenty feet of the inn, and he's in the lobby, and I can't find Lorelai."

"Aw man," Luke groaned, and the two of them rushed indoors.

"Go home, Kirk," Luke said firmly as he stalked into the lobby of the Dragonfly.

"Luke, it's Sondheim!"

"So I've heard. Go home. You didn't buy a seat, you don't have a ticket, there's a ton of stuff going on backstage that you'll just be in the way of. You've done a ton of shows yourself, Kirk, you know you can't be in the way. Go home."

"But Luke..."

"Move. I'll make sure you get an extra program or something, but you cannot stay here, Kirk."

"Can I have star shaped toast for breakfast on Monday?"

"Star shaped..." Luke shook his head in exasperation, "Yes! Star shaped pancakes if you want. Just. Go. Home! And you better run, or else I'm personally throwing you over my shoulder and escorting you back to your mother's!" Luke yelled and pointed at the door.

Kirk frowned and bolted, "I'm holding you to that! The program, and the toast, _and_ the pancakes!"

Gabby tailed Kirk to the door, watching to make sure he was truly heading off the Dragonfly property, "Man, he runs fast."

Luke groaned into his hand, "You have no idea."

"Chased him before, eh?"

Luke rolled his eyes. Why did important moments in his life somehow always coincide with Kirk's unwelcome presence? "You don't even want to know."

"Probably not. Well, thanks for the help. I better get back out there," Gabby sighed, pulling her headset back up over her head and reaching for a clipboard on the front desk. "Hey, Luke? If you find Lorelai, tell her to sit the hell down and remind her this is the easy part and I've got a handle on it? I have the world's tiniest to-do list as it is for this thing, and she's already done half of it. She's not even supposed to be working right now, she's supposed to be having a nice romantic evening with you unless I desperately need her help with something. Like Kirk showing up. And that's taken care of, so..."

"Yeah, sure," Luke sighed and dropped onto the sofa near the front desk, running his hand through his hair as Justine escorted a lost, tipsy guest toward the back exit. He watched Gabby flip through the pages on her clipboard a few times with a frown. Romantic evening? The whole night was a mess, and he still had no idea how he was going to squeeze in a proposal before the end of the night.

Unless...

"Hey, Gabby?"

"Yeah?"

"Quick favor. If you see Lorelai before I do, don't tell her the Kirk situation's resolved. Just send her over here."

Gabby gave him a strange look, "I can do that. Any particular-" her eyes narrowed at Luke's blank expression, "Okay, I got it. You owe _me_ star-shaped pancakes for lying to my boss and not telling me why. Chocolate chip ones."

"Gabby, if you can actually get Lorelai back over here, you can have a week's worth of free food at the diner on the house."

She raised an eyebrow, "Challenge accepted." With that, Gabby disappeared into the dining room. Luke stood and walked around, trying to relieve his nervous energy. He could still hear the music from outdoors echoing through the inn's lobby. He hoped Chad was having a snag-free night.

"Where is he?!" Lorelai all but flew into the room, "Lulu promised, she _swore_ she'd keep him busy tonight."

"Lorelai, he's-"

She barely noticed Luke's presence as she looked around frantically.

Luke followed behind her, groaning.

"Lorelai!"

"Stupid little twerp," she muttered, bursting through the door to the porch, "Kirk!"

"Lorelai, calm down, he's not-"

"Calm down?! Kirk is the one thing that could completely destroy tonight. Can't you just see him trying to sneak backstage? Or worse, sneak _on_ stage? Or even stalk some of the guests, do you have any idea how many extremely famous people are here tonight? Because let me tell you, Kirk sure does!"

"Lorelai," Luke put his hand on her shoulder. "He's. Not. Here."

"Gabby said he was just in the lobby, he couldn't have gotten far," she muttered, her eyes everywhere but on Luke, not trusting his assessment of the situation.

"Don't worry about it," Luke chuckled slightly, squeezing her shoulder, "Hey, stop a second."

Lorelai finally turned her focus to Luke, her expression slightly wary. He had been nervous all day, trying to figure out how this moment was going to work out, but suddenly felt a warm sense of calm spread from his chest outward as he looked down at her.

"Luke, what-" her eyes widened as she saw his hand reach into his jacket and pull out a small velvet box.

"This isn't exactly how I planned it. And these pants are way too tailored to get on one knee effortlessly," he reached for her hand, "Tonight might be the biggest night of the inn's life. But three years ago, this was the biggest night of mine. Do you, uh, remember what that was?"

Lorelai shook her head mutely, her eyes wide, mouth slightly agape.

"Our first date. I told you I was all in. You gave me this look, like you thought you might be, but you were afraid to say it. I... I don't think I really understood what that meant, though, because I look back and I can see every single time that I wasn't... all in." Luke paused, taking a deep breath, "And it was a really bad time when we were both all, uh, out. But I think we've spent the last few months figuring out that it takes a bit of work to, y'know, be 'all in' with someone... and it doesn't just stay or stop, it's an ongoing effort. Yeah?"

She bit her lip and nodded.

"So, you told me once you wanted the whole package, and we almost jumped the gun on that, but over the last few weeks, I've realized... that's something we both deserve. I want you as more than just the mother of my child, I want you as my partner, too. So, uh," Luke moved his hand from her shoulder to flip open the lid of the box. He felt a swell of emotions in his chest as he felt the words before he said them. His voice was quiet and rough as he asked, "Lorelai, I love you. I always have, and I've never stopped. Will you marry me?"

Lorelai stared at the ring. It was familiar, but... so different... improved. Not unlike their relationship. Her eyes quickly flitted back to his and she reached for his face, kissing him softly before quickly pulling back, "Yes. Luke... I... god, yes."

Luke grinned widely and he carefully pulled the ring out, sliding it onto her left ring finger. They both stared at her ring for a moment before making eye contact again. He reached for her as he saw a tear spill down her cheek. He knew if he dared try to speak again, he'd match her tear for tear, and they'd both cried enough over the last three years. His tender kiss quickly grew passionate as they let the movements of their mouths communicate where words failed.

After they finally separated, Lorelai got a closer look at the ring as she rested her head on Luke's chest. "Okay, I know that's my ring from before... where on earth did you find it? It's been missing this whole time."

"I know you thought that. I swiped it the day we opened your Luke boxes."

"I thought I misplaced it. I've been looking for it like crazy, I thought I'd lost my mind."

"Sorry."

"No you're not. And that's fine," she grinned, "But... what did you have done here? It's incredible. I loved that ring, I didn't realize it could get better than that, but Luke this is..." she shook her head, lacking the proper words.

"To quote Liz, it's a little bit of history made into a future. Our history, and..." he held her hand out, running his finger over some of the small details in the band, "This and those smaller diamonds are from my mother's wedding ring."

"Oh, Luke." Lorelai felt her eyes filling with tears again, and reached up to kiss him once more.

It occurred to her as they held each other, that on the third anniversary of their _first_ first date, on the porch where they had their first kiss, they were finally getting the uninterrupted moment that Kirk had ruined so long ago. At the thought of Kirk, she released Luke's lips, and the evening's responsibilities came flooding back to her.

"I need to-"

"You need to do nothing. All I've heard all night from every single person I've talked to is that I'm supposed to be keeping you from working and make you focus on enjoying yourself."

"But-"

"Gabby said you already covered half her to-do list. You fixed a dress and saved the show, you ran around doing whatever else before Kirk got here - I chased him off, by the way. The show's running, the guests are entranced. I didn't see one empty seat down there, though."

"No, it's completely sold out."

"Right. But supposedly we have seats."

"We do. Follow me," she grabbed Luke's hand and he couldn't help but smile as he felt her ring press into it. It had been far too long since he'd felt that.

Lorelai led him upstairs and down the hallway that lead to one of the smaller storage rooms, then pulled open a smaller door toward the back. Beyond the door was an older set of wooden stairs.

"What's this?"

"Attic.

"We're sitting in the attic?"

"Nope."

Luke followed her up the steep, narrow stairs, and both had to duck down in the shorter space. He noticed a pair of flats and a cooler sitting next to a window. Lorelai quickly traded her heels for the shoes and grabbed the cooler before pushing the window open. She turned to smile at him and gestured.

"Best seats in the house."

The two went through the window and onto the roof of the Dragonfly. Indeed, they were the best seats in the house, with a spectacular view of the stage and guests below, as well as the stars above. So this is what Gabby had meant by a romantic evening, Luke realized. If he had only known this was part of Lorelai's plans... but in the end, it had worked out. Luke carefully followed Lorelai to a flatter spot of the roof where a quilt and a few blankets had been laid out already.

He tugged on the legs of his dress pants to give himself a bit of slack before sitting, deciding he would never again take Michel's advice on tuxedo rentals. Once he was situated, Lorelai sat between his legs and opened the cooler.

"If I'd known you were gonna do this, I would've tracked down some Zima for old time's sake," she giggled. "But I wasn't expecting to get engaged tonight. In fact, once we got through tonight, I was going to start plotting out how to do it again, myself."

She pulled out a bottle of beer for him and a miniature bottle of champagne for herself. After toasting and a fair amount of kissing, Lorelai settled back against Luke's chest with a contented sigh. He wrapped his arms around her as they watched the sights below.

 _"Bring up the curtain, la la la,  
_ _Bring down the curtain, la la la,  
_ _Bring up the curtain, la la la,  
_ _Hi-ho, the glamorous... life!"_

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_ _Writing the proposal terrified me. I watched so many episodes of the show, listening to Luke talk before even attempting to write this chapter. I so hope I've done it, and his character, justice._

 _Major, huge thanks to my dearest friend Daisy who, when I was at a loss planning out the circumstances surrounding the proposal, asked for a vague idea to work off of, and she suggested it happen amid chaos, and at the Dragonfly. And somehow, from there, it flew off my fingers._

 _There's always been a question about whether Patty's talk of her theatrical past was embellished or not. I decided to go ahead and give it some legitimacy by putting her on the board of a fictional version of something like BCEFA (Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS, an awesome charity) or The Actors Fund._ _And, in further musical theatre geekery, the production of Chess that Chad is referring to is the 2003 Actors Fund concert which had, in my opinion, a flawless cast, but the recording was never officially released, likely due to a few issues with audio which are evident in the "unreleased" version. *grin* (whatever, it's still my favorite cast). And seriously, does anyone else want to see Patty do Mame? I think she'd be a riot!_

 _But, ho! We are not done yet. I have a story to tell, and one major event in the lives of these two does not an ending make. Besides, Rory's story's just getting started and April's got some unresolved stuff going on, too. Much more to come as they wrap up the evening and the story continues!_


	21. One for the Fools

**Chapter 21: One for the Fools**

Lorelai watched the crowd start to thin as intermission began, and gently tapped Luke's arms which had situated themselves tightly around her waist under the quilt. She'd expected to miss the first half of the show making out with her boyfriend, but instead, she'd ended up cuddling with her fiancé who'd taken a genuine interest in the show's storyline. Quite an unexpected evening all around.

"Wanna let me loose for a second so I can try to call Rory?"

"Oh, yeah," Luke nodded, leaning back on his elbows.

Lorelai leaned forward, reaching for her purse and pulling out her cell phone. She felt her heart rate increasing as she flipped it open and hit the speed dial for Rory, who answered surprisingly quickly.

"Mom! Hi!" Rory's voice came through excitedly.

Lorelai's eyes narrowed as she looked back at Luke, wondering if he'd talked to her about it in advance.

"Hey, so how do you feel about Luke officially joining the family sometime soon?"

"Considering I'm the one who gave him permission to marry you, I feel pretty good about it," Rory replied smugly.

"You... what?" Lorelai laughed, raising an eyebrow at Luke as she pulled the phone away from her mouth slightly, "You asked her permission?"

Luke shrugged, "Seemed appropriate."

She shook her head, laughing, "Well, thanks for your blessing, kid."

"You're welcome. I made sure to have him clarify that he was asking to marry you, not just get engaged to you, too. He seemed pretty serious about that."

"Yeah, I think that's a safe bet this time," Lorelai smiled.

"Well then, congratulations, bride-to-be," Rory added softly, "Man. You know, I knew this was coming. April and I were both pressing him for details a few weeks ago, but he wouldn't budge. I knew I wouldn't be there, but it still kinda stings."

Lorelai looked down sadly, "I know. And you realize, someday, it's probably going to be the same for me. You'll probably be in..." she glanced over at Luke, "Turkey, or something and I'll get a phone call in the middle of the night."

"Turkey?"

"Luke's subconscious thinks you'll be in Turkey."

"Well, thank Luke's subconscious. The food there would be ten times better than that of Eddie's Place." Rory frowned as Eric gestured frantically, pointing at his watch. "Mom, I have to get back inside, there's another event to cover. Give Luke a hug for me and tell him I said congratulations. Ooh, and tell him I expect a date set within the week and that he should carve it into stone."

Lorelai chuckled, "Call me again when you get a chance."

"Tomorrow. Probably early evening. Love you, Mom."

Luke looked a little sad as he watched Lorelai brush her thumb over the phone as she thought about her daughter. "You know," he said, "Rory and April wouldn't let up about this while they were here. I can't help but wonder if I should've just done it and waited on the ring. I thought it was gonna take longer than it did."

"No, it was perfect as it was. And as hard as this is, they're gonna go on and live their own lives apart from us... much as I want to involve Rory in every life event... that's just... how growing up works. For me and her." She held out her phone, "If you talked to April about this, she's probably dying to know the deed is done."

Luke nodded, taking the phone and holding out his arm for Lorelai to move back against him. She slid back into place, pulling the quilt along with her and leaned against Luke's chest as she gazed down at her ring. If she ever needed physical proof of Luke's full commitment this time, it was there on her hand. She still couldn't believe he'd use something as special as his mother's ring. She also couldn't believe he'd managed to sneak her original ring right out from under her nose... and that she'd even tried to dispose of it in the first place.

Luke pressed his lips to Lorelai's neck briefly while the phone rang, watching her inspect the ring's tiny details. He realized he should probably call Liz sometime tomorrow as well.

"Dad?! Did you do it?!"

He chuckled, "I did."

Luke immediately ripped the phone from his ear as a piercing shriek came from the earpiece.

"How did you do it?!"

"At the Dragonfly on the porch. The first place we, uh, decided to kinda become a couple." Luke felt Lorelai chuckle softly at his choice of words, while he felt his cheeks warm slightly. Talking to his daughter about kissing was never going to stop being awkward.

"And you really did it on the day of your first date. You are so adorably sappy, Dad," April giggled. "So what are you doing to celebrate?"

"Ah, actually, we're sitting on the roof of the Dragonfly watching that show."

"On the roof?! Ohhh, that's so romantic!"

Luke shook his head, "Is April there? The girl who only got excited about Mandel's Rules?"

"Mendel's Law," she laughed, correcting him. "And she grew into a girl who gets excited about genetics _and_ romance. I'm really, really glad this happened, and _really_ glad I get to be a part of it this time. Is there a date yet? Is it going to be this year? Next year? Rory and I will both be there around Christmas, and I know Lorelai loves the snow, but next year, you have your full pick of dates-"

Luke's eyes widened, "Woah, kiddo, getting ahead of yourself a little. I asked, she said yes, and we watched the first act of the show. I'll give you other details as we've got 'em."

"And tell her we'll be emailing her and Rory with all sorts of planning questions, too." Lorelai interjected, "They'll be involved. And present."

"Did you hear that?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, I did. Tell her I said thanks. Oh! Hang on a sec," April moved the phone away from her mouth to answer her mom, who stood in her doorway. "Jade said her mom can pick me up in an hour, does that work?"

"Perfect," Anna gave her a thumbs up, "I'm headed to the store, have her drop you off there. Who's on the phone?"

"Dad." April bit her lip and frowned slightly, uncertain whether or not to give further details. She'd been working really hard at trying to make things less awkward between her and her mom, and one of the ways she'd been managing to do that was by mentioning nothing about her dad or Connecticut. She'd even managed to intercept the boarding school mailings before her mom could get to them.

"What's that look?" Anna asked warily.

"He proposed to Lorelai tonight," April couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face, "We were nagging him like crazy about it, and the ring was finally finished, so he picked it up today and popped the question tonight."

Anna nodded slowly, smiling a little, "Tell them I said congratulations."

April eyed her cautiously, "Yeah, okay. So I'll see you at eight, then..." She moved the phone back up, still watching her mother's face for some kind of delayed reaction, but failed to see one. "Sorry Dad. Just had to clear some plans for tonight with Mom. Mom says congrats to you both."

Luke chuckled at April's flat tone, shaking his head, "Tell her I - we - said thank you. You being nice to her?"

"Yeeeessss," April rolled her eyes. "I need to get my stuff together for tonight. Have to work on this really lame group poetry project. Our poster has glitter, like we're in kindergarten or something. I thought high school was supposed to be more interesting than this. So you've saved my day by giving me something to actually be happy about."

"Okay, go get your stuff done. Bye, April."

"Bye, Lorelai's fiancé."

Luke ended the call, laughing, and slid the phone into his pants pocket as he wrapped his arms around Lorelai again.

She tilted her head and kissed the side of his neck softly whispering, "Hello, Lorelai's fiancé."

"Hello, Luke's future wife."

"So, you're liking the show?" Lorelai asked, watching the crowd as people began to make their way back to their seats.

"It's interesting. It's more like a play with singing. Which doesn't really interest me either, but, you know, it's uh... Sondheim," Luke added nonchalantly.

"Yes, I do know," Lorelai eyed him strangely and bit her lip to prevent the giggle that was desperate to escape.

"Hey, guys?" Gabby's head appeared through the open window from the attic. "If one of you doesn't mind heading over here, I've absconded with some food for you. I realized when I stuck the cooler up there for you that I forgot to put food in it, and the last thing I need is my boss breaking her neck drunkenly falling off the roof."

Lorelai stood and walked over, "Oh, but what a sight. You're a gem, I didn't even think about food, I thought we'd have time to grab some beforehand."

"Uhhhh. Your hand got real pretty since the last time I saw it," Gabby's eyes widened as she looked up at Lorelai. "Oh my god. That's why Luke told me to not call off the Kirk search, didn't he? Oh my god, Lorelai!" she squealed, stealing a glance at Luke, whose red face was focused on his program, which he could scarcely see in the low light. Gabby giggled, "Let me see it, let me see it!"

Lorelai held out her hand as her young assistant gasped, "Ooh, it's vintage! Very, very you, I love it! Oh, my god." She glared over at Luke, "If you had told me you had this up your sleeve, I could've made a million other arrangements for you two." She grinned back up at Lorelai, "Although, this turned out to be pretty perfect. Did you have any idea this was happening tonight?"

"Not the slightest clue," Lorelai shook her head. "And I think my jaw left a dent in the Dragonfly's porch, I was so shocked when I saw the box in his hand."

"God, you're practically glowing. Details on Monday. Here, take your food, I need to get back downstairs. By the way, keep your eye out for Michel's date. I swear to god, she must be a Celine Dion impersonator," Gabby grinned, passing the heavy basket through the window. "Last thing before I go. Do not touch a damn thing related to this event. There's nothing that needs doing that I can't handle, and you should enjoy your night, _especially_ now. If I don't see you later, congratulations and I'll see you on Monday."

Lorelai saluted Gabby and turned back to Luke, grinning widely, "We have food. And if we're lucky, some of this is from the VIP dinner earlier, a combination of Sookie's best work and that fancy catering company from New York."

She set the basket down and pulled out some silverware and a few containers, gasping as she came across a familiar carafe. "Coffee! Gabby is officially my favorite employee."

Luke chuckled, grabbing a fork, and took a few bites from one of the containers. Lorelai moved next to him as the two of them ate and continued watching the second act. She occasionally glanced over at him to shake her head in amazement at his attention to the performance.

 _"Grandmother, I've watched and I've watched, and I haven't noticed the night smiling."_

 _"Young eyes are not ideal for watching, they stray too much. The night has already smiled twice."_

 _"It has? Twice? For the young and the fools?"_

 _"The smile for the fools was particularly broad tonight."_

A few lines later, the cast stood for their bows, the actor playing Frederik thanking the crowd and making a brief speech about the charity before the lights went up.

Lorelai turned her head into Luke's neck, breathing him in one more time before standing, "Unfortunately, we do need to get back down there. I have to make an appearance at the VIP after-party to meet my parents, and I want to make sure Jackson kept Sookie from wandering back into the kitchen. And, honestly, I'm dying to see what's up with Michel's date."

The two gathered their things and left them in the attic, Lorelai pausing to quickly switch out her shoes one more time, then made their way outdoors to the VIP tent. Lorelai couldn't help but smile proudly at how beautiful the place looked. Swaths of gauzy white and dark blue fabric woven with little white lights accented the area with beautiful chandeliers hanging from the tops of the canopies. The rest of the area subtly continued the starry night sky theme as well.

Lorelai wove her fingers between Luke's as they walked through the crowds, looking around for familiar faces; eventually spotting her father's large frame, she tugged Luke in his direction.

She tapped her mother's shoulder as Emily turned with a brilliant smile, "Lorelai! There you are. I was looking for you at intermission, but Sookie said you'd given away your seats!"

"They were sold out, and I managed to score us the best spot in the place," she grinned, "We watched it from the roof."

Emily's initial reaction was to grimace at the idea of a dusty rooftop, but finding no trace of dirt on her daughter or Luke, she glanced out at the inn and her expression softened, "Well, that sounds lovely. I'm glad you've managed to enjoy yourselves a little."

"Uh, yeah, you could say that." Lorelai reached for her mother's hand, curling her fingers over it and pulling it up within Emily's vision.

She gasped slightly when she saw the ring, "Oh, Lorelai."

Emily knew she should feel uneasy about this. And she knew after she thought about it a little more, it would worry her until she saw Rory sign the witness line of a marriage certificate. For now, she couldn't help but give herself over to the moment she'd waited for years to have - not the engagement itself - but a moment when her daughter was actually including her in an important part in her life, all on her own, face to face.

The glittering diamonds blurred slightly, and she reached to hug Lorelai tightly as she whispered, "I am so happy for you."

Lorelai had not been prepared for her mother's reaction. Though she anticipated a positive response given the changes in their relationship over the last few months, she hadn't quite expected the emotion behind it, and hugged her mother back just as tightly.

Richard grinned, shaking Luke's hand, and Emily caught sight of her husband's expression as she pulled back from her daughter. "He knew." She glanced at Luke, "You told him?"

"Now, Emily, he gave me a slight hint last week at dinner. He didn't say when, but I had a feeling..." Richard beamed, leaning down to kiss his daughter's cheek.

Emily bit back a comment about it being customary to ask the bride's parents for permission. She knew it was an absurd demand to make of a couple whose average age was over forty, and at the moment she was more annoyed at Richard for failing to share his prior knowledge. She focused back on Lorelai's ring and cocked her head slightly, "This looks almost like your old one?"

Lorelai nodded, "He combined the old one with his mother's wedding ring."

"Luke, It's beautiful." Emily smiled as Luke thanked her. "Does Rory know?"

"Since last week," Luke admitted, "We've had an agreement about this for awhile."

"And we called both girls at intermission. Other than my assistant catching sight of the ring when she brought us dinner, you're the only other people we've told," Lorelai looked at her mother meaningfully, and Emily returned her look with a grateful smile. "I need to find Sookie and Jackson before they sneak out. I'm sure we'll have plenty to talk about next Friday."

"Yes, of course," Richard replied, "I believe I saw them attempting to dissuade Michel's date from sampling the punch."

They said their goodbyes, and began making their way toward the dessert and beverage tables.

"You actually allowed Founder's Day Punch at this event?" Luke scoffed as he saw the familiar pink liquid being served a few feet away.

"Patty's influence. She wouldn't let up about it, so it's here. My suggestion to provide a warning sign got shot down."

"Lorelai!" Sookie squealed as she weaved through several people to throw her arms around her friend, "We did it! And we managed a Kirk-free evening!"

"We did!" Lorelai beamed back, noticing Jackson struggling through the crowd several feet away as he followed his wife. "Though Luke did have to chase Kirk away at one point."

"Oh god, please tell me no rosebushes were involved this time," Sookie gave Luke a once-over, noting he didn't look any worse for the wear, "I'm forever damaged from that experience."

"No rosebushes, but there was kissing on the porch again," Lorelai held up her hand, and Sookie barely held back a shout of joy, nearly tackling Lorelai in another hug as she drew amused glances from the people around them. Sookie turned to tug Luke down for the same treatment. Jackson finally caught up and congratulated the couple as well.

As Sookie and Lorelai's chatter began to veer from giddy discussion over Luke and Lorelai's engagement to work-related analysis of the evening, the men exchanged a look, and Jackson reminded Sookie they needed to relieve their babysitter before it got too late.

Before Luke and Lorelai could take their leave, several people involved in the production, from the talent to the organizers to the stage managers, stopped to talk to Lorelai, everyone proudly congratulating each other on a job well done.

Luke noticed Patty standing nearby talking to an older gentleman with silvered hair, and a stunning woman whose red curls cascaded down her shoulders. Luke realized it was one of the few times he'd seen Patty speak to a man without a heavily flirtatious tone, in fact she almost sounded reverent.

As Lorelai spoke to yet another person she'd gotten to know throughout the planning process, she proudly introduced Luke as her fiancé. Luke watched Patty's head whip around, a shocked, yet gleeful expression on her face. She raised an eyebrow and pointed meaningfully at Luke before returning her focus to her friends. They glanced his way, and he realized Patty was likely explaining her reaction.

Feeling a little awkward, he smiled back, then turned his attention to the people in front of him as he noticed Chad and his boyfriend had been talking to Lorelai for a few minutes. Chad reached up to cuff Luke's arm with his hand, "Now I get why you were so nervous before the performance! Congratulations, man!"

"Thanks," Luke laughed, "It was less the act itself and more figuring out how it was going to happen. How did the sound work out?"

Chad beamed, "Sounded good to me! I'll be handing the masters over on Monday, and the rest is out of my hands, but I'm sure Patty will keep you in the loop. How'd you like the show?"

"Actually, it wasn't bad."

Chad laughed, "I think that's as good as I'm gonna get. All right, we've got a long drive ahead of us, and we both have matinees to work tomorrow. It was wonderful working with you, Lorelai, and it was good to finally meet you, Luke. May the end of our baseball season hurt as little as possible." As Luke started to reply, he saw Patty making her way over; Chad laughed again and waved as he left, knowing better than to try staving off Patty when she had such a determined look on her face.

"Lucas William Danes, tell me it was you this time," Patty exclaimed as she grabbed Lorelai's hand.

"It was him this time," Lorelai announced as Patty inspected the ring.

"Gorgeous. I approve." She dropped Lorelai's hand and put her hands on her hips expectantly, "Well, I'm going to need details, children, news doesn't spread itself."

"I'll leave you to it, I'm going to get a drink, Lorelai, you want anything?" Luke asked, eager to escape Patty's inquires.

"Gin martini, please," she grinned.

As Luke stepped away, the people Patty had been talking to stopped to wish him congratulations and he smiled back, thanking them. He heard a few murmurs from behind him and realized they must be important. He decided he'd ask Patty about them when he got the chance.

A few drinks later, Luke and Lorelai were finally making their way back to the inn.

"Cab?" Luke asked, knowing they were both just a bit too far beyond the point of tipsy to drive.

"Uh, no. We have a room."

"The roof was romantic, but I'm not sleepin' up there without a tent."

"Now there's an idea," Lorelai giggled, "No, we have an _actual_ room. You're not the only one who was feeling nostalgic and sappy tonight."

Luke followed Lorelai up the stairs and she paused in front of room seven, turning to face him before unlocking the door, "The night of the test run, I had a feeling things might be... well, I didn't know what was going to happen, but I knew something was, and I wondered if maybe things between you and I would lead up here. Of course, we know how that all went, but I did refer to the room as _lucky_ number seven earlier that day, making a conversation with Michel turn _very_ awkward." She reached up to kiss him, pulling back just as Luke began to pull her more tightly against him. She raised her eyebrow flirtatiously, "So how do you feel about revisiting that idea?"

Lorelai felt herself melt slightly as he gave her a heated smile and gently slid the key out of her hand, unlocking the door, himself.

Hours later, as Lorelai watched Luke sleep beside her, she couldn't help but think that the night's smile for the fools was, indeed, particularly broad that night.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: For fellow musical theatre geeks of the hardcore variety, you may be able to identify the strangers Patty was talking to. Major cheeseball moment, and it's really just there for me. Ah, self-indulgence. For everyone else, it's a cute moment of Luke being congratulated by complete strangers ;)_

 _This roughly marks the halfway point for this fic. I hope you're enjoying reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it and editing it._

 _Mega big **huge** thanks AGAIN to everyone who has left reviews and sent PMs. You have no idea how fun it is to see your reactions. I wrote these last few chapters all the way back in September (zero relation to the dates, btw, sheer coincidence), so having others read it, love it, and share their thoughts is both strange and wonderful. AND a much-deserved shout-out to **Handful of Barbie** , who caught a glaring error in another chapter and mentioned it so fast I was able to fix it before too many people saw it. *grin* _

_More to come this weekend!_


	22. One Day and One Night

**Chapter 22: One Day and One Night**

"Mruh," Lorelai groaned as she hit the alarm clock one final time before rolling out of bed. She squinted and blinked at her cell phone to find a text from Rory:

 _:: reminder! i was promised a wedding date within a week! deadline passed! get busy!_

"I didn't promise that," she muttered, replying with nothing more than "nag".

Lorelai rolled out of bed and walked downstairs to let Paul Anka out. As she carried him down the stairs, she thought to herself that now might be a good time to work on addressing some of his more annoying quirks - such as the stairs. It was only fair given the amount of time she and Luke had spent addressing _their_ quirks over the summer.

After carrying her dog back up the steps of the porch, Lorelai hit the power button on the coffee pot and moved upstairs to start getting ready for the day. As she did, she thought back to the past week.

The morning after their engagement, Gabby had slid a note under the door of their room, letting Lorelai know she shouldn't dare show her face in the rest of the inn. Gabby added that she, Sookie, and the rest of the staff were more than capable of taking care of things, and had a few extra employees on call to help just in case they needed it. Lorelai had already intended to take the day off, long before she knew what Luke had up his sleeve. If she'd had any inclinations to check in on how things were going, they'd fled the moment he upstaged the entire evening with his proposal.

She and Luke had spent a lazy morning ensuring the luckiness of room seven before finally dragging themselves out of bed sometime in the afternoon. With the inn still buzzing with the remaining guests from the event, the two of them quietly sneaked out and had lunch at home, enjoying the final hours before they had to deal with the endless questions from the lovable-yet-nosy denizens of Stars Hollow.

Luke eventually headed to the diner, and upon arriving was promptly ambushed by Babette and Patty for the details that Patty still lacked after Lorelai's quick explanation the previous night. Much like his first engagement to Lorelai, Luke gave himself over to it, enjoying their delighted grins as he told his side of the story. Babette seemed exceptionally thrilled that Lorelai had not, in fact, beaten him to the punch this time.

Luke and Lorelai were both quickly swept up by the banal details of life over the following days, and the subject of setting a wedding date hadn't surfaced aside from a few teasing texts from each of their daughters. Lorelai hadn't worried much about the date, or even given it much thought until Rory's latest text.

Lorelai drove to the diner for breakfast and coffee, still struck by the conundrum of wedding date selection. Simply narrowing it down to a month or a season seemed like a daunting task. Her dress was, of course, suited for a summer wedding, but she still wasn't sure about using it, nor did she like the idea of a wedding date falling so closely to her and Luke's previous one. Furthermore, she couldn't decide if it was awful to have been married twice in one year, a relief to have one cancel out the other, or if it was best to start fresh and wait until the following year entirely.

Life, even the best parts of it, could never be simple, Lorelai mused.

She pushed open the door of the diner, still lost in thought as she made her way to the counter to give Luke his usual hello peck. After ordering breakfast, she dropped her chin into her hands, mulling over dates and wondering what Luke might have in mind.

"Can I have that?" Luke asked as he filled her coffee mug.

"Huh?" Lorelai glanced down, noticing a receipt stuck under her arm, "Oh, sorry." She pushed it toward him with her elbow and glanced down at the writing. "Extra well done toast? Gross."

"Also known as Kirk," Luke rolled his eyes.

"But of course."

"Something bugging you?" Luke asked, narrowing his eyes at his fiancée suspiciously.

"No, not… bugging."

"No? Then what's on your mind?"

"Just. Um. Y'know. Last time there was that whole Rory quitting Yale thing, and then I set a date, and then we unset the date, and there was never a date re-set, and, uh, I don't really have anything really specific in mind for a wedding other than wanting one and Rory being there, of course. I don't want a long engagement, that seems silly, like we're trying to prove something, but then how soon is too soon? Because I don't feel like we _have_ to prove anything, but I also don't want it to seem like we're rushing into anything or-"

"Jesus, Lorelai." Luke huffed, rubbing his hand over his face. "Did someone badger you about it on your way here, or something?"

"Rory texted again this morning, but it made me realize we hadn't really talked about it. Not that we're avoiding it I mean, I'm still happily celebrating the fact that we're engaged." She paused and wrinkled her nose, "Again."

"You really wanna talk about this here?" Luke frowned.

"No, _you_ asked what was on my mind. I was content to wait until we were back at home tonight."

"Right," Luke took a deep breath. Lorelai hadn't said anything particularly shocking. It was exactly what he'd anticipated they'd both end up going through once they reached this stage in their relationship. There were worries, expectations, and the past to deal with. "Well, now that the door to this discussion's been opened. Ground rules?"

"There are rules?" Lorelai raised an eyebrow.

Luke leaned forward on the counter, speaking quietly, "No Sookie until you and I have talked about it ourselves. If we're doing things right this time, I want to have a say in some of this. I want her to be a part of our wedding, I don't want to be a part of the wedding you two planned."

"Agreed, absolutely."

"And even after that, I get right of first refusal on anything you two come up with."

Lorelai smiled and squeezed his hand, "Good. And I was serious about wanting to make sure April and Rory are involved. It's a little more than just me and you this time."

"Right. Because it _is_ different this time," Luke replied emphatically before returning to the demands of the diner's breakfast rush.

* * *

"How do we do this, exactly?" Lorelai asked Sookie a few hours later as she leaned against the wall of the kitchen sipping a cup of coffee. "I feel like anything remotely resembling the last time we were engaged is jinxing it or inviting bad vibes or something."

"I don't think you can jinx it. You didn't jinx it before. Jinxes had _nothing_ to do with it," Sookie raised her bandaid-covered finger at Lorelai. "You two did that all on your own. And if you keep thinking that way, you'll talk yourself into fake-jinxing this one."

"No. Unless picking a date is so hard that we end up not picking one. And then we can just be engaged, keep moving forward in our relationship, and stick to Luke's original idea of dealing with the wedding and stuff some other time. Win win?"

"No! Lose lose!" Sookie frowned, rolling out her dough with gusto. "After work, we're sitting down with a calendar and figuring out a date."

"Ah, if by we you mean Luke and I, then yes, we are," Lorelai replied carefully.

"Hey, no fair!" Sookie whined, setting her rolling pin aside and putting her hands on her hips. "That's my job!"

"Did I pick your wedding date with you?"

"No," Sookie pouted, "But it's Luke. He doesn't-"

"He _does_ ," Lorelai interrupted her. "Don't you remember his face last time in the diner? I don't want to see that face again. I _like_ that he wants to be involved. I _like_ that he has an opinion. I mean, I should've known last time given how many things he had an opinion about when we redid the house. And all I gave him was 'Oh, hey, there's white in the sash of my dress.'"

"But..." Sookie looked sad.

"We'll still do our girl thing, Sookie, I promise. And you're still making the cake, right?"

"I better be," she sighed. "I added a few things to my folder last week in preparation."

"Can I see?" Lorelai grinned.

"Yeah," Sookie replied. She quickly gave a few instructions to one of her chefs, wiping her hands on her apron before reaching for her binder of wedding cakes. "Okay, so I have it separated by season, but that's just a suggestion..."

"So, uh, maybe fall and winter," Lorelai replied, watching Sookie's staff continuing to work so as to avoid eye contact with her friend. Who knew beef wellington was so involved?

Sookie held the folder out and raised her eyebrows, "Fall? So soon? You're not preg-"

"No. Just keeping my options open," Lorelai quickly clarified, sitting on a nearby stool as she accepted the proffered item emblazoned with "Cakes by Sookie".

"I was hoping spring."

Lorelai sighed, "I like spring, but I feel like it's so far away."

"Well," Sookie flipped to the tiny winter section in the folder in Lorelai's hands, "Winter can be nice. You like snow."

"I _do_ like snow. I think that might mean a new dress entirely," Lorelai pondered.

"See, spring. That dress would be beautiful in a spring wedding," Sookie replied, flipping back to the much thicker spring section of the folder. "Look it almost matches this cake."

Lorelai laughed, "The bodice exactly matches that cake. That's the Dragonfly in the background. When did you make that?"

Sookie sighed, "Last year during Valentine's Day weekend. I was hoping maybe the time away would do you two some good. You were so sad. And then things kind of started going all over the place, and..." she shrugged.

"Ah," Lorelai nodded sadly, "It is beautiful, Sookie." She flipped through a few more before she shut the folder in frustration. "Ugh, I didn't even think about the cake being seasonal, too. This is so much more complicated than I thought it would be." She pushed herself off the stool. "We'll revisit this once I've figured out when the heck we're going to do this." With that, Lorelai left the Dragonfly's kitchen, shoulders drooping slightly.

Sookie watched her friend leave, grateful things had never been so difficult with Jackson. The biggest issues in their relationship had mostly centered around their kids, and occasionally taking arguments about produce a little too far.

The day passed with Lorelai only half focusing on work, her eyes frequently wandering over to her calendar. She really wished Rory was around. The two would sit down with a pro/con list and determine the season based on the outcome. From there, she and Luke could discuss dates and see which seemed to work the best. Even if she managed to get Rory on the phone long enough to add a few items to a list over the phone, it wouldn't be the same.

Lorelai walked to the front desk and said goodbye to Michel as he left, his early departure having been repeated to her since he arrived that morning. It was just her manning the front desk while Justine was on her dinner break, and the lack of company left her feeling restless. She organized the front desk area and handled a few check-ins, shooting an occasional glare at the calendar as she did so.

"Hey, Bosslady," Justine grinned with camera in hand as she entered a bit later. "Did Michel leave early?"

"Paw-Paw has a vet appointment. What, he didn't tell you a million times today? Because that's all I've heard about. 'Michel, Did the Jones family check out?' 'Lorelai, Paw-Paw has an appointment at six, I am leaving at five.'" Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"Oh, wow. No, I've mostly managed to avoid him today. Upside of being a little shorthanded today. The downside is, I've been trying to take a decent break to go take pictures all day, and only escaped a bit ago. The leaves are already incredible, and they're still mostly green. But I'm new to this northeastern fall thing."

Lorelai smiled at her enthusiasm, forgetting Justine hadn't grown up in the area, "What'd you end up doing?"

"I grabbed one of those amazing sandwiches Sookie made for the staff, a donut from the cider mill, and had dinner under the trees. A perfect evening. The photos are a little dark, and like I said, it's still pretty early in the season, but it's enough to make the family back in Arizona jealous." Justine flipped through the pictures on her camera for Lorelai to see. After a few minutes of the two of them ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the photos, Justine noticed it was past the time Lorelai usually left. "You should skedaddle. I noticed Sookie has a wedding cake folder sitting out, I assume you're up to your elbows in planning."

"Ah, not quite, still trying to settle on a date first. Or, y'know, a season at least."

Justine nodded, "Do you have a timeframe for how soon you want to be married?"

"Soon. It's... a long time in coming."

"Yeah, I heard you guys have been together forever," Justine said thoughtfully. She hadn't been at the Dragonfly very long, and didn't do much socially in Stars Hollow. The condo she shared with a roommate in southern Connecticut was simply cheaper than living in New York City, and of all the jobs she'd interviewed for, Lorelai was the only one who'd agreed to be flexible with her constantly changing schedule.

What Justine knew of Luke and Lorelai was little more than what she'd seen with her own eyes aside from the tiny tidbits she'd picked up from Sookie and Michel. Sookie had made reference to their first kiss happening during the inn's test run before it had opened, a good eight years after the two had first met. It seemed like a very long time for two old friends to wait to get engaged. She wasn't surprised Lorelai wanted a short engagement.

"Something like that," Lorelai muttered, printing out a few spreadsheets from the computer.

Justine cocked her head curiously, watching as Lorelai subconsciously toyed with her ring. She wanted to press for more details, but her boss was usually pretty forthcoming about things she felt like sharing.

"Well, I'm intent on capturing my first New England autumn, so I'll keep my eyes out for spots that I think might be gorgeous throughout the year," Justine promised. "If you like the idea of an outdoor wedding, though, I think you own a pretty damn nice place to have one."

Lorelai frowned, collecting her papers from the printer. She turned to give Justine her full attention, "You don't think that's too easy or too... expected?"

" _I_ think this is one of the most beautiful spots in Connecticut whether you own the place or not."

Lorelai nodded, "A little small unless it's exclusively outdoors, though, which almost all of the weddings here have been. That can be dicey during fall and winter."

"Potentially for the ceremony. But with the canopies and heaters, it would still work for a reception regardless of weather," Justine shrugged, "Just my perspective. If I ever stay in a relationship longer than five minutes, and can actually get married, it's happening here."

"Well, let me know how that date tomorrow night goes, we can block off a weekend." Lorelai winked, patting Justine on the arm as she walked past. "Have a good night."

* * *

Lorelai groaned when she noticed Luke had beat her home. She'd been hoping for a few quiet minutes to get her head back on straight before he gave her the "this woman is insane, what was I thinking?" look.

She slid out of the jeep and walked inside, reaching down to greet Paul Anka before dropping her stuff on the kitchen table. There were _signs_ of Luke, but no Luke in sight: several drying dishes, a blissfully aromatic pot of soup on the stove, and a round loaf of fresh bread from Weston's on the counter.

"Luke?" Lorelai called as she walked upstairs. She heard the shower running and decided to take the time to change. After sliding on a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt, she noticed a few print-outs of cars sitting on the bed. It had been awhile since they'd returned to the car discussion, but it had apparently been on Luke's mind again. She spread a few of the papers out on the bed as she tied her hair back into a ponytail, grimacing at the size of the SUVs. They reminded her of the hideous beast of a car her mother had rented after her eye surgery.

Lorelai sat on the bed and moved to lean against the pillows as she read through a few of the pages, grateful to have something other than a wedding date to think about. She heard the shower turn off, and a few minutes later, Luke walked into the bedroom with his towel wrapped around his waist.

"You're home," Luke stated the obvious as Lorelai nodded. He turned to the dresser to change into a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and Lorelai moved the the papers down slightly to stealthily watch him. "I can feel your eyes on me, you know," he muttered, stepping into his boxers.

"What?" she asked innocently. "Oh, hey, nice view."

"Uh-huh." Luke smirked, sliding on and fastening his jeans. He reached for his shirt as he walked over to the bed to give her a quick kiss. "You like any of those?" he asked, nodding his head toward the papers in her hands.

"They're... kinda big," Lorelai replied. "What's for dinner?"

"Beef and, uh, beef soup."

"Beef and uh beef soup?" Lorelai asked, laughing.

"A beef soup." Luke clarified, sitting on the bed to pull on a pair of socks.

"What kind of soup is that? Beef soup? That sounds kind of disgusting."

"If I tell you the actual name of it, will you still eat it?"

Lorelai looked at him with a concerned look on her face, "Uh, if it's like beef and beets and, um, turnip, probably not. What the hell did you make? You're freaking me out. You can't mess with my food like this, you know that."

Luke laughed, " _That_ sounds disgusting. It's just a beef and vegetable soup."

"Oh, well, that's a normal soup flavor," she punched his arm. "What's with the beef and uh beef?"

"I didn't know if you'd have an immediate aversion to the vegetable portion."

Lorelai rolled her eyes, "You so overdramatize the vegetable thing."

"I take my cues from you," Luke smirked, "It should be done by now, if you want to relocate downstairs." He motioned his head toward the door.

"Yeah, okay," she slid off the bed, taking the papers with her.

"So, I was thinking about wedding dates," Luke said as they walked down the stairs.

"And cars."

"And cars. But the car thing's not exactly new."

Lorelai reached for two bowls and handed them to him, "New to me. What were you thinking about dates? Because, to be completely honest, I have no idea what to do."

"I had Kirk look up some wedding stuff online."

"You..." Lorelai gaped, sitting down.

He glanced at her and smiled nervously.

"October's the prime month for fall leaves. And those apple and cherry trees at the Dragonfly, especially farther back near that clearing... I thought when we were there last month that it would be the perfect place for a small wedding no matter what season. But it would be especially nice in the fall. We could still do the reception outdoors, same area the event's post-show party was at. I saw this really interesting canopy that uses plastic so the top is clear so you can see the trees. Actually, Kirk got really jealous when he saw that."

"Luke..."

Luke's speech quickened as he went on, bowls in his hands forgotten as he gestured with them, "But in case you thought that was too soon, it's a little cold in December and January, but we could probably find some nice place to do the ceremony indoors, and still get pictures outside in the snow. If it's small enough, the Dragonfly's dining room is still perfect. And it's so you already, it's not like we'd need to do much decorating. But if you want to wait until spring, then I definitely vote for the inn be-"

"Luke!" Lorelai shouted, standing and taking the bowls out of his hands and placing them on the counter before his nerve-fueled gestures broke one. "Okay, wow, you've really been thinking about this."

"You said-"

"I know, I thought we'd talk about it tonight. I didn't mean you had to have a bunch of very specific ideas ready to go," she reached for his hands, smiling wryly.

"Well, I couldn't stop thinking about it all day."

"Me either. But I couldn't get past freaking out about it to think as clearly as you've been." Lorelai paused, looking carefully at him to gauge his reaction to her next sentence, "I don't want to wait until spring."

"Yeah, neither do I," Luke finally took a deep breath, feeling a little relieved.

"Snow seems a little impractical and kind of a crapshoot, but fall is... y'know... now..." Lorelai held her breath, watching his expression.

"I think now is... not bad," Luke replied hesitantly, "It doesn't really change much. The biggest hurdle I can see is getting the girls back here in time."

"It's almost October already. But November might be too cold," Lorelai thought out loud. "October? That would mean pulling this off in a matter of weeks..."

"If anyone can pull off a wedding in a matter of weeks, it's you. You had our last wedding planned in, what, a day?"

"But that went badly. Very badly."

Luke frowned, folding his arms in front of him as he leaned against the counter. "I don't think it had to do with planning it in a day as much as it did... uh, a million other things."

"Maybe," Lorelai bit her lip nervously.

He grabbed the calendar off the wall, flipped it to October, and handed it to her while he turned to fill their soup bowls and place generous pieces of bread on their plates. By the time Luke sat down at the table, Lorelai was biting the end of a pen in thought.

"Halloween wedding is out unless you want a wedding in the middle of the week," she noted.

"Oh, that's unfortunate," Luke replied sarcastically, and paused to think for a moment. "Weekend seems more fitting. I like Saturday."

Lorelai nodded pointing at each square with the pen, "Sixth is too soon, thirteenth is booked. I don't know how many rooms are still left for the twentieth, but I don't think there's anything big planned..."

"October twentieth," Luke echoed thoughtfully.

"Way more syllables than June third. Maybe that's-"

"Lorelai!" Luke groaned. "Stop comparing!"

"I'm just saying," she held up her hand as she walked to the living room to grab the phone, dialing the inn. "Justine, hey! Can you tell me what the twentieth of October looks like at the inn? How much is booked?" Lorelai paused, waiting for her to pull up the info and raised an eyebrow at Luke as Justine answered. "Nice. Can you put a hold on it? Yes, and all the available rooms. Um, yes, under my name is fine. And if you don't mind putting me at the top of each of the waiting lists for the rest of the rooms... perfect. Thank you! See you Saturday." Lorelai hung up. "October twentieth it is."

"So, thirty days... how livid is Emily Gilmore going to be?"

"She'll get over it in a few years. Two rooms are free, as is the honeymoon suite. Whether or not we use it, it's nice to have for the bridal party to get ready in," Lorelai replied as she sat back down. "Thirty days. You know, there was this time one January when you tried to convince me that June was too soon."

"I had myself convinced of a lot of dumb things that January. I think I've more than proven I've learned to embrace being impulsive. A little, anyway."

"Yes, yes you have," she smiled indulgently, patting his hand before she got back to business. "Okay. I need you to bring my dress over when you come home tomorrow. I need to make the final decision about whether it really was too perfect or not."

"Up to you, but I don't think it was ever _too_ perfect. I'll bring it home with me tomorrow anyway."

Lorelai nodded; as the uneasy feeling she'd been plagued by all day finally lifted, she sighed happily and focused on enjoying Luke's "beef and uh beef" soup.

"You free tomorrow? We could go grab lunch and scout out our locations at the inn with Gabby," Lorelai offered. "We have a staff meeting in the morning, but my day's mostly free after that. Would give us very specific answers for my mother at dinner tomorrow night."

"Yeah, I need to open in the morning, but I can be out of there by the end of breakfast," Luke stood with a quirky smile on his face. He put his hands on his hips and waited for Lorelai to look up. He watched her eat a few spoonfuls of soup and gave up waiting. "Lorelai."

"What?" she asked around a mouthful of bread. She quickly swallowed and a corner of her mouth turned up at his boyish expression. "What?!"

"We have a date."

The smile that lit Lorelai's face could've brightened several surrounding counties. She quickly bounced up, taking a long step to stand directly in front of Luke as she held his gaze, "Yeah, we do. A wedding date. Our wedding date." Her eyes sparkled as she slid her hands up Luke's chest and around his neck. They stared at each other for another moment before Luke finally leaned in, pressing his lips to hers. The beef and uh beef soup was quickly forgotten.

* * *

"Thanks, Scott, I'll have those revisions for you by morning," Rory said professionally, then groaned loudly as soon as the call disconnected. "Even though I don't like your suggestions, Morrow!"

She sighed and flopped down on her excessively firm hotel mattress. She had plenty of time to work on the revisions to her article, and zero interest in starting them now. Coffee would help. And despite a day of standing, walking was still preferable to the horrible mattress on the bed. Decision made, she changed into jeans and a t-shirt and walked to the elevator.

Rory quickly glanced away as she saw Eric and one of the newer female reporters kissing fervidly against Eric's door, trying to unlock it without moving from each other's embrace. She heard them laugh as the door finally gave way, and was grateful the elevator arrived at the same moment. Once it reached the lobby, she walked to the café next door to the hotel, trying to ignore the scene she'd just passed. Was everyone hooking up but her?

"Hey, Rory!" Kyla called from a table, "How bad is your room? My mattress sags in the middle."

"Oh, no, mine's like concrete," Rory pouted and gestured to the extra chair at her friend's table, "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all, I'm almost on my way out, good timing. The brewed coffee's not great, but the espresso's decent," Kyla nodded toward the counter, "And the brownies are to die for."

Heeding her advice, Rory ordered a cappuccino and a brownie and joined Kyla at her table.

"So, that photographer you picked up a month ago. You're lucky," Kyla wagged her eyebrows.

Rory wrinkled her nose in response, "Miles? He's annoying."

"Easy on the eyes, though. You two haven't...?" Kyla waved her hand.

"Uh, no."

"Well, hook a sister up! Aside from the times he hangs around with you and the other photographers, he's kind of aloof. I haven't even managed to so much as flirt with the lad."

Rory thought for a moment. She really didn't like the idea of Miles and Kyla hooking up. She'd gotten to know Miles very well over the past month, and while she certainly considered him a friend, she found Kyla's request felt... weird.

And she wasn't prepared for it to feel weird.

And she didn't like that it felt weird.

And she really didn't feel like dwelling on the fact that it felt weird.

"Yeah, okay." Rory finally replied, making an effort to smile at her friend.

"Great. It's been _weeks_ and that's a lot of damn deadlines and tension headaches built up," Kyla shook her head, "You know what I mean?"

Rory chuckled, "Absolutely." She knew exactly what Kyla meant. Except instead of weeks... she thought back to Logan and frowned, kicking her heel against the leg of her chair in frustration. Months. Almost half a year.

Kyla, oblivious, popped the last bit of her brownie in her mouth. "I gotta jet. Deadline's in two hours and I've still gotta find a way to tie up this story. Next time we've got a little downtime, I want an introduction. I can take it from there," Kyla winked as she stood, leaving Rory to stare morosely at her cappuccino.

"I'm sure you can take it from there," Rory muttered, pulling off a large chunk of her own brownie and chewing it. Miles would hate Kyla. She was nice, but too loud, too boisterous. But then, she didn't really know what Miles looked for as a romantic interest. And the way people in the press corps bounced around between hook-ups, she wasn't sure personality mattered all that much. Willingness to engage was all it seemed to take.

She wondered if she was approaching this all wrong. Maybe Kyla had the right idea. And Eric. And the new girl. And seemingly every other reporter on the damn bus.

"Oh man, the smoke in here," Miles said dramatically as he dropped into the chair Kyla had occupied moments ago.

"Smoke?" Rory asked, uncertain if she was annoyed by or grateful for his company.

"Coming from your head. Morrow breathing down your neck?"

"Oh. No. Dumb revisions to make that I don't agree with, of course, but I left all that in the hotel room." Rory took another bite of her brownie and stared at the table for a few minutes as she thought about Kyla. "You ever do any, um, dating on these press tours?"

"Dating? Like _dating_ dating? Or… uh..." Miles frowned, "Wait, who asked you out?"

Rory frowned back, "It was a general question."

"Is it?"

"Miles…" she sighed.

"Okay, general question. General answer is, yes to dating. I tried wooing a girl once on a bus tour. She was only interested in people who would give her career a boost, so she turned me down. _After_ I paid for a few dinners, of course."

"I think the advice here is supposed to be something like, 'hate the game, not the player?'"

Miles chuckled, "Yeah, whatever. And as far as… just… having fun... " he shrugged.

"Plenty of fun?"

"Uh..." Miles replied hesitantly, "Rory, why are you asking me this?"

"Just… information gathering."

"Because…" he pressed.

Rory considered using Kyla as her reason for asking, but quickly vetoed the idea in case Miles was a little too happy at the prospect. She realized she'd much prefer not knowing who Miles might be hooking up with. _If_ he was. He hadn't actually answered her question.

"Seems like a good way to pass the time, according to my peers."

"Well, I mean, yeah, but…" Miles glanced quickly around, seeing a few familiar faces. He leaned a little closer in, his voice quiet. "Rory, you're better than them."

"I don't think my writing skills really matter here."

"I meant as a person."

"Shouldn't that just make it easier? It's not like I'm completely hideous, but hey, a decent personality should get me at least a few points."

Miles gritted his teeth for a few seconds, then sighed, "Rory, just be careful, okay? This isn't your thing."

"And how would you know if it is or not?" she argued.

"No, you're right, I don't. Maybe it is," Miles stood abruptly.

"Why are you mad?" Rory stared at him.

"I'm not mad, I'm just… ugh," he dropped back down in the seat, and tipped his head back, staring at the ceiling.

Rory chugged the rest of her cappuccino while she waited for him to find whatever he was looking for on the ceiling of the café. She glanced down at the brownie and decided she was no longer hungry.

Miles sighed heavily as he tilted his head back down to a normal position, "It's all fun and games until it isn't anymore. And once you realize how easy it was the first time, it's easier the second time, and so on and so on. Let's say you meet someone. Maybe you start up a relationship while you're back home for your mom's wedding. Time passes, it gets serious. Then, one night, you're stressed and frustrated with work in the middle of nowhere. Eventually, it gets to the point where you remember how easy the quick fling on the road was, and decide, what the hell."

He flung out his arm angrily as he pointed to the motel next door, "Half these people don't care. They're married, engaged, have serious relationships. Their spouses, fiancés, boyfriends, and girlfriends have no idea what happens out here, so it's no big deal to forget about 'em for a night." Miles paused for a moment to take a deep breath. "You're better than _that_ person. That's what I meant."

"Okay," Rory said slowly. "Can I ask what happened? How did she find out?"

Miles raised his eyebrows. "I was the one who got cheated on. And I found out because people talk. A lot." He stood again, calmly this time, though the frustration was still clearly etched on his face, "Just be careful, Rory. Find someone, make it a one time thing, and hope he keeps his mouth shut. I don't want to get fired for beating up a reporter."

Before Rory could reply, Miles stood and left. She stared at the sign hanging on the door as it swayed after his abrupt exit… back and forth... until it finally slowed to a stop several minutes later. She felt considerably worse than she had earlier.

"Well, that went well," she mumbled.

Rory felt her phone buzz in her pocket and crossed her fingers, hoping it wasn't Scott with yet another suggestion or assignment. She really wasn't in the mood to write. She sighed with relief as she saw "Mom" on the display and flipped it open.

"You have excellent timing."

"Well, that would be a first," Lorelai replied. "What's up, baby girl? You sound sad."

"I don't know, I'm just… sullen. Tell me about you for a bit. How's the wedding date selection process going?"

Sullen? Lorelai frowned, her concern turning to worry, "Um. Well, we set a date. That's why I was calling."

"Ah!" Rory sighed with relief, "That's happy news! When?"

"October twentieth. You _might_ need to take a day off, but you should be within driving distance-"

"I will be, and I can still take a little time off. I was already planning to so I could see you. But wow, that's quick. There's not a reason for that is there, I mean you're not preg-"

"Reason is that we've waited long enough," Lorelai interrupted, wondering how many times she was going to have to answer that particular question. "Winter sucks for outdoor weddings, spring's too long to wait, and summer is not only way too far away, it's got bad juju."

Luke glanced over from the other end of the couch and rolled his eyes at her before turning his head back to the sports coverage on the TV. His legs were draped over Lorelai's lap, and she jabbed the arch of his sock covered foot in reaction to the eye roll.

"Bad juju?" Rory snickered, "Okay sure. Where's it at?"

"The Dragonfly. Luke's had his heart set on a wedding at the picnic area I took you guys to when you were visiting… he's had it in mind since the visit, actually."

"Oh, that's so sweet." Rory thought back to the area and imagined it covered fall leaves, "That's gonna be beautiful. Any other details arranged yet?"

"Not just yet. I'll let you know when there's more, though," Lorelai drummed her fingers on Luke's shin. "So... "

"So how did you and Luke decide on a date?" Rory interrupted, knowing her mother was planning to ask about why she'd sounded sad when she'd answered, and she still needed another minute.

"While I stressed out about it all day, he was busy doing research, and we talked about it over dinner. For as freaked out as I'd been all day, everything kinda fell into place pretty quickly."

"That's really good to hear," Rory paused, taking a deep breath. "Mom, can I ask you an extremely personal question and get an extremely honest answer?"

Lorelai wrinkled her nose, almost afraid to agree to the vague question, "I guess so."

"If it's too much, you can change your mind."

"Rory, what is this about?"

"Have you ever had a one night stand?"

"A one night stand?" Lorelai repeated, trying very hard not to sound shocked by the question. Luke whipped his head over to look at her, concerned. She squeezed his leg reassuringly, and he slowly turned back to the TV. "Uh. Can I ask _why_ you're asking me that first?"

"It's kind of the generally accepted stress reliever out on the road… and in a way, I feel like it might be a little… more… um… drama-free than a rebound relationship. Which I don't have time to even start anyway."

"Okay."

The line went silent for a few beats.

"Mom?"

"Rory… this isn't... " Lorelai grimaced. She had to remind herself that despite the child-like voice that Rory had just used to break the silence, she was talking to her adult daughter. Her adult daughter who she'd always agreed to be open with about these kinds of things. Even so many years after they'd initially broached the sex topic, it was still a difficult one to discuss. "Can I preface this with the standard 'do as I say, not as I do' motherly advisement?"

"So, yes then?"

"Yes. A few when you were little. And your dad, um, later."

"Really," Rory sat up in her chair a little, "When later? Oh, duh, you mean after the big breakup."

"Uh no, no. Before then," Lorelai rubbed her temples and bit her lip as she saw Luke's gaze shift over to her again, "Rory, you've begged off details about this kind of stuff a million times, I don't thi-"

"Please, Mom, I just… I don't know anyone else I can talk to about this who knows me without it becoming weird."

Lorelai's heart hurt at the desperate tone of Rory's voice. "Give me a second, kid," Lorelai hit the mute button on the phone and turned her head to look at Luke, "You have five seconds to decide if you want to hear the rest of this conversation." She was pleased to see Luke seriously consider it before he shrugged.

"Doesn't bother me. It's ancient history."

Lorelai nodded and un-muted the phone. "Is hearing this really going to help you?"

"Yeah. I think so. I mean, they're not all terrible, right?"

"No." Lorelai looked meaningfully at Luke, giving him one last chance to bail, "They're _not_ all terrible. But, Rory, keep in mind, you and I are very, very different when it comes to relationships. I mean, from early, _early_ on we were different."

"I know. So aside from after you left Luke… the earlier one with Dad? Was that the last one?"

"Yeah. And we can mark that as a bad decision on _so_ many levels."

"What happened?" Rory stood, deciding this conversation was probably more suitable for her hotel room. Aside from the cappuccino, the café had been a bust anyway. She tossed the rest of the brownie into the trash and slowly made her way back to her hotel as she listened.

"Well, you remember the night you met your dad's parents for the first time?"

"The only time. How could I forget? The awful things they said to y- oh my god. That's where you guys sneaked off to, isn't it!" Rory gasped, suddenly amused, "Mom!"

"Rory!" Lorelai couldn't help the nervous giggle that escaped. "Anyway, you can chalk that up to desperation, depression, and tequila."

"You and tequila."

"Well, I think serenading my ex-fiancé in a bar was the swan song for my tequila days."

Luke grinned at that, and Lorelai made a face at him.

"Probably wise," Rory chuckled. "What about the other ones?"

"I wasn't really… looking for a relationship when you were little. But after Sookie was hired, I finally had a good friend my age to hang out with, and, well, by then, I was finally twenty-one, so I'd get a grown-up night out occasionally, and… y'know, you meet people. Exchange numbers. Go out on a random date. Sometimes, well, a few times, it just… went a little further than that."

"No one good enough to bring home to the kid?" Rory teased.

"Wasn't looking for anyone to bring home to the kid. Was deliberately avoiding bringing anyone home to the kid." Lorelai sighed, feeling slightly guilty, "Rory, you and I were inseparable ninety percent of the time; we were each other's playmates and best friends. Every once in awhile, I just… needed a night out."

"Oh, I get that. I really, really get that. Hang on, entering elevator. Might lose service. If I do, I'll call you back when I get to my room."

Sure enough, Rory's phone cut out and Lorelai dropped the phone next to her leg with a groan.

"What the hell, Luke? What is she not saying?"

Luke gave her a pitying smile, "I don't know, I can only hear your end of things, but… I think your daughter's trying to justify a one night stand."

"One that's been had, or one yet to be had, do you think?"

"Lorelai, she's an adult, and older than you were by your own admission. She's probably just lonely. Isn't that why you went out?"

Lorelai thought for a second. "Not… really. I just wanted to go out, and do something fun that didn't involve crayons or fairies." She frowned, "I hope she's not lonely. You really think she's lonely?"

"No, just thinking of my own experiences," Luke replied thoughtfully.

"Now I'm sad for both of you," Lorelai pouted slightly. The phone rang and she held her face in a tight grimace as she answered, "Back in your room?"

"Yeah. Sadly. Worst bed so far this trip."

"Please tell me that's not why we're having this conversation."

Rory snorted. "Please, I'm not _that_ desperate." She sat on the bed and briefly wondered if the sidewalk would be softer, "Uh, yet."

"Seriously, Rory, why _are_ we having this conversation?"

"I was talking about Miles-"

"You slept with Miles?!" Lorelai's eyes widened.

"No! Do you want me to talk or not?"

"Talk. I'll stay quiet." Lorelai glared at Luke as he offered her a throw pillow.

"Okay. I was talking about Miles to another reporter. She asked me to hook her up with him. I felt weird about it, and then I felt weirder for feeling weird about it. Anyway, at first I didn't think he'd go for it, she's not really his type, but I mean, does any of that even matter?"

"A little, maybe. Just enough to hit it off, I guess."

"Right. I've been avoiding this whole, uh, salacious side show because, I guess, to me these are potential professional contacts, and I wouldn't want to wonder if I was passed up or given an opportunity based on sex, you know?"

"Mmhmm," Lorelai nodded.

"But I feel like I'm the only one considering that."

"Or maybe they're hoping for opportunities because of it."

"Oh, that's definitely the case for some," Rory sighed. She knew it happened, heck, Miles had been turned down because of it, but the idea of sleeping with someone to get ahead went against everything Rory believed in.

The women were quiet for a few minutes, both lost in thought.

"Rory, you've never been one to do something just because everyone else was doing it."

"No, and that definitely doesn't have anything to do with it. It's more that I think maybe they're onto something, and I'm just being a child about it." Rory thought back to her mother's earlier confession, "You said a few, and if you were twenty-one the first time, I was five? How much later was the last one? I mean, Dad aside."

"Uh, you were seven, and very inquisitive. Any time I went out, which was rare enough as it was, I'd let you know I'd be out late and I'd see you when you woke up in the morning. And it always worked out that way, until the one time it didn't, and I ended up actually spending the entire night with this guy. I didn't mean to, and it was still really early, but you were awake when I got home, and would not stop with the questions."

"You should've just said you were out with Sookie."

"That night, _you_ were with Sookie. I also didn't want to lie to you." Lorelai leaned back, closing her eyes, avoiding looking at Luke who had turned his full attention to her. "I ended up distracting you with a trip to the library to get you off the subject. But I felt completely awful about the whole thing for days, and it wasn't worth it anymore."

"I'm sorry," Rory frowned.

"Don't be. No regrets. It wasn't a big deal."

"So your first… uh… time after dad was… just… a hookup."

"Yeah."

"Wasn't that weird?" Rory tried placing herself in her mother's shoes, but had a hard time imagining it. Their dating lives had been incomparable.

"Um, a little. I mean. It had been a really long time. I hadn't really… had… sex… as an adult. With an actual _man_. I mean. With someone who wasn't... a... teenager. Ugh. Rory," Lorelai whined.

Rory laughed, "I get it, I get it. I don't mean was the _act_ weird, I mean, the… general idea of it… like, after. Did you know you weren't going to see him again?"

"Oh, god yes, I knew that from the beginning. That was kind of the point."

"And the next time, it was easier."

"Yeah."

"So you weren't looking for a relationship and you weren't looking for my future step-dad. You just wanted to have a fun night out."

"Can I steer you back toward my earlier statement about doing as I say and not as I do? Because you sound like you're trying to use me as an example, and if I'm not mistaken, the last time you used my choices as an example it was to imply I'd coerced your dad into cheating on Sherry." Lorelai lightly kicked the coffee table, mildly frustrated.

"Well, I was defensive and confused and also completely wrong about that, by the way. You're really going to hold that moment in time against me?"

"No," Lorelai replied softly. "Rory, can I ask if you're trying to reconcile something that's been done or sort out something you're thinking of doing?"

"The latter," Rory confirmed without hesitation.

"Okay," Lorelai breathed. "Okay. You know, when you and Logan started, uh, sleeping together, you just kinda jumped into it. Without sounding like I'm encouraging this, you know, it's not all that different."

"Yeah. I knew I wanted more, though. And I was pretty sure he did, too. And I was right. But right now…" Rory sighed, frustrated with the awkward dance around words. They were adults, this was her mother, but also one of her best friends, and she needed to put an end to the waffling. "Mom, can we just speak frankly? Two adult women? Constantly trying to dodge things is making this really hard."

Lorelai shut her eyes tightly and banished all visions of Rory as a child, and focused on the young hostess at the Huntzberger house on the Vineyard, one of the first moments Lorelai could remember where she truly saw her daughter as an adult, and had envied how put together and mature she seemed. "Go for it."

"You can understand, you've been there. I'm not in a relationship, I'm not looking for a relationship. And one of the best parts of being in a relationship as an adult is having that distraction, especially when everything else is stressful and tense. Like, it's why makeup sex is even a thing."

Lorelai chuckled, "Yeah. I can understand that. Can I chime in as an old lady, though, not as your mom?"

"Go ahead."

"If people are getting it on like you're implying-"

"Oh, they are."

"It sounds like a massive STD cesspool."

Rory laughed, "I've seen a few noticeable bags containing prescriptions when we're in bigger cities. I'm not that dumb, though, Mom."

"I hope not."

"I think we had this discussion once before and it wasn't me freaking out about something I may have picked up from drunken sex," Rory smirked. "In fact, _I've_ never had a pregnancy scare. And I don't plan to."

"And _now_ the Judgmental Express rolls into town. I'll get you a trophy for exceptional use of birth control," Lorelai huffed.

"I'll pass, thank you. But especially knowing people have been getting around, I'd still be careful, you know."

"I know. I still wish… I know it's hard out there, but it's just so different when you're with someone. And I know I'm back to the mom thing again, but don't hate me for wanting that for you."

"I don't," Rory smiled. "It's not an option for me right now, though, we both know that." She took a cleansing breath, "I know this wasn't easy for you, so thanks for listening and talking and fielding my nosy questions."

"You're welcome," Lorelai smiled sadly, "I hate that we had this talk over the phone. I feel like I owe you a massive hug."

"Save it for next month. There will be a lot of massive hugs." Rory opened her laptop and flipped her notebook to her page of notes, frowning again at a few of Scott's suggestions.

"In the meantime, if something does happen and you need to talk... and I know this conversation was painfully awkward, maybe more for me than you at times... but call me anyway. I promise it won't be as weird next time."

"I will. I mean, if I need to. I promise. I need to get busy writing." Rory glanced at the date. "Oh, hey, Friday night dinner tomorrow. You giving them the wedding news?"

"Yeah. I think I'll make Luke do it. Make him the one that makes my mother's eyes bug out."

"You're mean. Tell them I said hi. I love you, Mom."

"Not nearly as much as I love you. G'night."

Lorelai sighed as Rory hung up, her heart aching once again over the distance. She brushed away a few stray tears, lifted Luke's legs off her lap, and walked over to the table to put the phone back on the stand. When she returned, Luke had turned off the TV and was watching her with a small smile.

"What?"

"You're amazing, that's what. I can't imagine having that conversation with April."

"Probably don't need to, Anna's probably got that covered. If we ever have a mini Luke brooding over girls, though, those types of conversations are all yours." She carefully maneuvered herself over Luke, tucking herself between his body and the back of the couch, resting her head on his chest. They were quiet for several minutes while she processed what she and Rory had just discussed. Luke rubbed her back as she spoke,"God, I miss her. Can we make sure our kids don't have a desire to travel? Buying Rory that stupid stuffed globe to teach her countries was the dumbest idea I ever had."

"We'll hide all the maps. The world doesn't exist past Stars Hollow."

"Perfect." Lorelai smiled, turning her head to kiss Luke's chest.

"Makes the car thing easy." Luke chuckled, "We'll never go anywhere. If you can't walk to it, it doesn't exist."

"Aw, but I love my inn." She propped her head up her hand and looked up, "Actually, speaking of cars, I didn't mind the Durango."

"Really." Luke raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah. Looks like it'll fit some plants really nicely." Lorelai smirked as she laid her head back down.

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_ _Guest reviewers, since the site lacks a good way to reply to you, I'm going to try to do so on my Tumblr page every so often. Same username I use here (FFnet seems to purge links to Tumblr). Thanks to everyone, AGAIN, for all the kind words! Next chapter to drop either tonight or tomorrow, depending on my schedule. Love you all!_


	23. Speaking the Same Language

**Chapter 23: Speaking the Same Language**

"There's a picture of Rory in the paper," Emily smiled proudly as Luke and Lorelai took their usual seats on the settee. "Richard where did you put the newspaper?"

"Uh, which one?" Richard asked as he returned to the room with Luke's usual glass of beer. "This one's from a local brewery, Luke, I'm told it's good. I tried it, but I don't think I have the right palate, so you'll have to trust Frank Powell, who considers himself an expert."

Luke took a sip and nodded, "It is very good."

"Excellent," Richard replied, smiling. He noticed Emily had not only already served Lorelai her martini, but it was already half gone. He'd discovered, after years of these dinners, that it meant his daughter either had something on her mind, or was nervous about something she had to say. Given that he wouldn't be able to fit so much as a slip of paper between her and Luke, he knew it at least wasn't due to a breakup.

"Ah, here it is!" Emily returned from the piano room. "Lacy must have moved it. Although why she'd think this looks like sheet music... well, no matter." She rolled her eyes and handed the folded paper to Lorelai as she took her empty glass. "There's not a run on gin, Lorelai, you can sip it."

Lorelai smiled thinly and moved the paper over so she and Luke could read it at the same time. There was a short article about the campaign trail, with a few references to the press corps. Lorelai smiled at her daughter's familiar expression; she'd seen it a million times before a major test, and especially during finals. Rory's face was creased in fierce concentration as she listened to her audio recorder and chewed on the back of her pen. Luke pointed a finger at the caption.

 _Younger members of the press corps, Eric Lasser and Rory Gilmore, only further illustrate the importance of youth in this election._

Luke and Lorelai grinned at each other proudly, and Lorelai placed the paper on the coffee table. She drummed her fingers nervously on her knee until Luke reached over to cover it with his hand, shooting her an annoyed glare. Earlier, she'd decided to wait until halfway through dinner to announce the wedding date... just in case the rest of the evening was filled with a classic Emily Gilmore lecture on proper wedding planning. However, once they'd arrived, Lorelai discovered it was hard to focus on anything else, and found the topic on the tip of her tongue, daring to fall out.

Emily's patience with Lorelai's nervous energy was growing thin, and she nearly considered pouring a higher proof alcohol into Lorelai's second martini to see if it helped any. Sighing, she finished making the drink the usual way, and handed it to her daughter. As she did, Emily glanced out the window and noticed a large, maroon SUV was parked out front in the spot Luke's truck usually occupied.

"Is there something wrong with your truck, Luke?" Emily asked, turning to address her future son in law. She bit back a laugh as she noticed he'd been glaring at Lorelai. At least it wasn't just her and Richard bothered by Lorelai's behavior.

"Ah, no, actually," Luke smiled, "That's our, uh, new car."

"Really!" Emily exclaimed walking to the window to get a closer look as Richard joined her. She had remembered Lorelai mentioning something about needing a bigger car when Rory and April were in town, but no further discussion had come up on the subject. It was quite a bit larger than she expected. "It's very nice. I like the color."

"Thank you," Luke replied. "Lorelai picked it out, actually. Would you like to see it?"

"I would, if it's not too much trouble," Emily nodded and the four walked outside. Lorelai excitedly showed off the fancy features of the new car, pointing out the upgraded sound system - her favorite part. Falling right into their stereotypes, Richard and Luke quickly moved to the front of the car to discuss the engine and all things manly under the hood.

"Three rows of seats," Emily raised her eyebrows at Lorelai. If she hadn't just watched her daughter finish off a martini in record time, she would likely be trying to determine if her waistline had changed at all.

"Three rows of seats," Lorelai confirmed, opening the door to the back seat and demonstrating access to the third row. "Room for three adults, a teenager, and maybe a kid or two at some point. Or Paul Anka."

Emily nodded. "So, you're still talking about having children together."

"More past the talking stage and into the planning stage," Lorelai turned to face her mother with an uneasy smile.

In keeping with everyone's efforts to think before speaking lately, Emily paused to try and decipher the meaning behind her daughter's statement before reacting.

Lorelai noticed her mother's hesitation and rolled her eyes, "After the wedding, Mom." She couldn't help but laugh at the relieved gasp of air Emily failed to hide. "We've each tried it without the whole marriage thing, we thought it might be interesting to try it the traditional way and see if we can get an even better outcome. Y'know, maybe a smart kid this time," she joked.

Emily chuckled, "Well, that's nice to hear. Have you started planning for the wedding? I have a few places in mind that I don't think you'd be completely opposed to, but I'd need at least a three month notice."

"Well. I'm not sure that'll work," Lorelai replied, shutting the car doors and leading her mother over to the men. She stood behind Luke and whispered, "Change of plans," into his ear, then turned to face her parents.

"Why won't it work?" Emily replied, "You haven't even seen the places I was referring to, Lorelai. Obviously, I wouldn't try to reserve one of the more formal halls, they're too big for what I assume you'd want, anyway. These are nice places, but they're more your style."

"I think the Dragonfly's about as 'my style' as it gets, and Luke and I are already planning to have it there."

"Oh!" Emily replied. She was more surprised Lorelai had done any planning at all than she was at the choice of venue. "How much have you planned so far?" She noticed Lorelai's hand slide down Luke's arm to hold his hand. Wedding plans, then, were the reason for Lorelai's behavior all evening, she realized, and wondered about which specific detail her daughter expected a negative reaction.

"Quite a bit, actually," Lorelai answered cautiously. "I hired an assistant for event planning at the inn back in May - I don't think I managed to introduce you at the performance, but you'll definitely get to know her pretty well over the next few weeks."

Emily felt her heart race at the implication that she'd be involved in any planning. There was a time she would've been relieved to warrant an invitation. Things had certainly changed between them. She caught Richard's warm glance in her direction and smiled back.

"We walked around the grounds earlier today, getting the initial ideas settled. There's a beautiful area a little farther out on the property, but it's accessible by the carts, so no one needs to hike or travel by horse," Lorelai grinned at Luke.

"Did you have a timeframe in mind?" Emily asked, "June third again, perhaps? Or not," She amended when she saw the horrified reaction on Lorelai's face.

"Uh, no. No June third," Lorelai took a deep breath, "October twentieth."

Emily blinked, " _This_ October twentieth."

"Yep." Lorelai tightened her grip on Luke's hand, preparing herself for the verbal onslaught.

"That's less than a month away."

"It is," Lorelai confirmed slowly.

Emily glanced around and noticed all three of them were awaiting her reaction. She frowned and found herself teetering between fulfilling their expectations and disappointing them by not reacting strongly at all.

"Well, it's a good thing you own your venue," Emily said, opting for the latter as she pushed back hard against the horrified thought of planning a much-awaited wedding in mere weeks. She glanced at her watch, "Dinner should be ready, shall we continue talking about the wedding at the table?"

She enjoyed watching Lorelai's jaw drop open as she turned toward the front door. The smug feeling was far superior to the argument that would have ensued from ranting about a last minute wedding.

* * *

"Mom, do you consider me particularly needy?" April asked as her mother's last customer walked out of the store.

"Not since you were three. Maybe two. You've always been such a 'take matters into your own hands' kinda girl, I almost cry whenever you need my help with something."

Anna teasingly bumped April's hip with her own before she walked over to turn the sign on the door to 'closed' and switch the light off on the fluorescent signage above the entrance.

"Well, don't cry, but I do need your help with something."

Anna paused and put her hand on her hip, "Really. What can I help with that a dictionary can't do for you?"

"Drive?"

"Drive? Now?" Anna glanced at her watch. "It's eight o'clock on a Friday night. You have a date or something?"

April looked shocked, "If the answer to that was in the affirmative, would you actually drop me off for it?"

"I believe the answer you're looking for is 'when pigs fly'," Anna smirked, shaking her head as she walked back to the cash register. She unlocked the cash drawer and motioned to April. She'd long since learned that April had little tolerance for her mother's average math skills; it was easier to just let April count out the cash drawer when she was around than to be bodily removed from doing so, herself. As April stepped over, Anna reorganized a rack of shirts. "What is it you need?"

"I need a ride to the convention center tomorrow. And, um, back. It's too far by bike and the bus routes are absurd."

Anna thought for a moment, wondering what science event she'd managed to miss. As she put an American flag printed shirt back in its spot, she remembered an article she'd read the other day in the newspaper and turned to April with an impressed smile.

"You want to hear Obama speak?"

"I do, but unfortunately, the event is full. I... thought it might be fun to just... go anyway," April hedged. Things had been so good between her and her mother lately, she still hated to bring up anything connected to her dad, Lorelai, or Stars Hollow. Having to explain she wanted to meet up with her future step-sister felt awkward.

"And what, stand outside? Protestors usually show up to these things. No way," Anna shook her head.

April sighed heavily. She wrote the cash drawer's total on the slip of paper, and stepped aside so her mother could put it in the safe. She knew she had to switch to plan B, as unappealing as it was, and just tell the truth. The door to the safe in the office shut, and as Anna returned to further explain herself, April held up a hand.

"That's not the reason I want to go."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Okay, what is?"

"Rory - um - you remember, Lorelai's daughter. She's part of the press corps, and they have Saturday night free after the event and she has all of Sunday off. The press is staying at a hotel right by the convention center. I was really supposed to have talked to you about this, um, a few weeks ago, but I felt bad because I know you were dealing with Dad and Lorelai getting engaged again-"

"I wasn't dealing with it, it was going to happen eventually, and I'm happy for them."

"Happy?" April stared at her mother dubiously.

Anna glared back. "Yes. I'm not planning a trip to Disneyland to celebrate it, but I'm fine with the whole thing." April's expression didn't change and Anna sighed exasperatedly, "April."

"Okay, okay. So, uh, yeah, well, I got nervous about talking to you about it and kept putting it off, and then Rory called yesterday to ask what the plan was, and I had to tell her I'm a big chicken. So I promised her I'd let her know tonight," April bit her cheek as she waited for her mom's response.

Anna sighed. April's tendency to avoid something unpleasant until the last possible minute was a trait she'd gotten from both her parents, and not one for which Anna had a lot of patience. "Well, won't she be busy all day? If she has the speech to cover tomorrow, I assume she has to write about it after."

"Yeah. She said she'd squeeze me in for dinner, though," April was pleased to see her mother didn't seem at all opposed to this, only annoyed by the timing of it, and started to get a little excited.

"April, the window of time in which you'd actually see Rory has shrunk considerably since you proposed this. What were you going to do in the meantime? Follow her around?" Anna shook her head when she saw April's face light up. "Why did I even ask? Rory was okay with that?"

"She wasn't opposed to it."

"I really wish you'd mentioned this two weeks ago, we could have actually made plans. You said she's off on Sunday, right? All day?" April nodded. "You have your swim meet on Sunday-"

"It's optional!" April interrupted.

"And I gave you the option, and you _opted_ to do it, and you know the rule. No backing out of this stuff, if you don't want to do it, you have to give people notice. It's common courtesy. Like telling your mother you're trying to make plans that require a ride..." She paused to give April a stern look before continuing. "How's this? Let Rory do her job on Saturday. Invite her to your swim meet on Sunday. If she doesn't have plans for the day yet, we can drive over there Sunday morning, pick her up, go to your meet. I'll drop you off at whatever brunch spot you want to show off, you can spend the day doing whatever, and I'll drop her back off whenever you're done or whatever time it is she needs to be back."

"Really?"

"Really," Anna waved her hand, "Go call her!"

As April ran off, it occurred to Anna that she'd likely be watching April's entire swim meet with the young woman who'd scoped her out last year, who very likely hated her.

She picked up the phone to call the Chinese place down the street to order take out for dinner. With extra egg rolls. If ever there was a night that called for extra egg rolls, this was one of them.

* * *

During dinner, Emily quickly learned that very few of Luke and Lorelai's wedding plans had actually been decided aside from the date and venue. If Lorelai's implication that her mother would be included in the planning had surprised Emily, hearing her daughter ask her opinion on flowers, table settings, and colors left her downright shocked.

As the maid collected their dessert plates, Luke sat at the table in stunned silence. While the majority of their recent Friday night dinners had been uneventful and generally pleasant, he'd never thought he'd see the day when Emily and Lorelai spoke excitedly back and forth as they tossed around wedding ideas. Luke caught Richard's eye as Lorelai nodded for Lacy to pour her a third cup of coffee; it was evident his future father-in-law was similarly bewildered by what was playing out before his eyes.

Finally, the night drew to an end, and Lorelai shut the door behind her, rubbing her chin as she considered some of her mother's suggestions - not exactly her usual post-Friday night dinner thought process. She gazed at their maroon behemoth of a car and noticed Luke was holding the passenger side door open for her.

"It's really a pity we don't have time to break this in with a nice road trip," Lorelai said sadly as she got in.

"Yeah, it's very sad we have to get married instead," Luke snarked before shutting her door and walking around to the driver's side. He glanced over to see Lorelai staring blankly at the house. "What?"

"I feel very strange. Did that just happen? She _kindly_ disagreed with things. Offered alternate suggestions to ideas of hers we didn't like, or found something to like about what I'd said. Who is this woman? And where was she when I was growing up?"

Luke bit his lip as he backed the car out of the driveway. Lorelai had been equally non-combative, but he decided pointing it out might make her decide to be especially argumentative next Friday to make up for it. Such was the logic of Lorelai Gilmore. "I don't know," he replied instead, "But it was nice to see."

"Yeah," Lorelai smiled and ran her hand over the dashboard of the car. "Y'know what else was nice? Shopping for this. Not nearly as bad as trying to replace my jeep."

"For one thing, we weren't replacing your jeep, so that made it less stressful, and for another... you and I weren't tip-toeing around each other."

"Yeah, that was a rough day. I had to call Sookie while you were talking to one of the salesmen to vent about how awkward it was. God, that seems forever ago, doesn't it?"

"Glad it feels like forever ago. It wasn't the worst time of our lives, but it was still pretty terrible."

Lorelai nodded, resting her left hand on his right one. She missed being able to slide over on the bench seat of his truck, and decided for that reason alone, she was glad they'd both kept their cars. This shiny new thing definitely had its purpose, but their old cars did too. Like her ring, their cars combined old and new, and were all part of their future.

* * *

Emily turned wide-eyed as she watched Luke and Lorelai leave.

"Richard, this is definitely happening this time. Richard?" Emily looked around the room, frowning. "Richard!"

"Study!"

"Ugh. Work at this hour?" Emily growled as she walked toward Richard's study. "What are you doing?"

Richard held up a manilla envelope with a familiar address written on it. "I am looking for the name and number of the cleaning company we used."

"It was something ridiculous. But why not just call the management company?"

"I ended our dealings with the management company when the lease was up, after the final inspection and cleaning. Which we agreed was the right move."

"It was. It is. We don't need them for this." Emily dropped her face into her hand and massaged her temples as she racked her brain. "Maids... maid..."

"Lacy."

"No, Richard, not _our_ maid... the name of the cleaning - AH!" Emily snapped her fingers, "Maid To Clean!"

"Yes! With that ridiculous numeral two between the words!" Richard grew weary of digging through the envelope and upended it. The keys fell onto his desk loudly followed by several large glossy photographs, paperwork, and business cards. He spread the business cards across his desk, looking for the gaudy red "Maid 2 Clean" card he once had.

"You saved the photos but not the business card of the cleaning service?"

"Apparently not. Oh, I remember why now," he held up two of the business cards: Gutterific and I Love Lawn. "The same name and number were on all of the ones with the goofy names. I threw out most of them. I found the smiling lawn mower amusing, and I'm not sure why I kept the other one."

"Kirk Gleason," Emily read aloud as she looked at the names on both cards. "Oh, no. You cannot call him."

"Why? The house was clean enough for the renters. You said so yourself."

"Kirk Gleason is why we started looking just outside Stars Hollow in the first place, don't your remember that odd realtor fellow?" Emily briefly pressed her fingers into her forehead at the memory, dreading dealing with him again.

"Oh... oh! That was Kirk? Oh, we definitely won't need these," Richard threw the brightly colored business cards with Kirk's name and number on them in the wastebasket next to his desk. "I'll call the realtor's office in the morning and find out if there's a cleaning company in Beacon Falls they recommend."

"Don't forget to ask if they service Stars Hollow, we did pay to have the boundary lines adjusted, so despite the proximity, they may not be available. If they're not, I'll just call our maid service and see what we can arrange through them," Emily took a deep breath, feeling less anxious than she had moments ago now that they had more of a plan in place.

"Excellent," Richard nodded, writing himself a few notes. "Well, I'm glad we took care of the repairs after the renters left. Horrid tenants. No wonder Trix had such a difficult application process. Well, no matter, our era as lessors is coming to an end. Hopefully."

Emily nodded as she walked toward the door. She paused and turned, leaning heavily against the solid doorframe, "Now we just need to figure out what to tell Lorelai."

Richard looked up uneasily, "And when."

* * *

"I can't wait to see you either," Rory laughed as she unlocked the door to her motel room in Flagstaff, Arizona. "I thought weather out west was supposed to be hot and dry. I'm freezing."

"Not at this time of year. You don't have a coat?" April frowned.

"I do, but the last time I stepped off the bus, it was almost eighty outside. It's thirty-five now." Rory rubbed her arm as she adjusted the thermostat. She finally felt a bit of warm air beginning to trickle into the room and sighed with relief, "There we go. Heat."

"Make sure you have the coat when you get here. It's nice during the day, but it's been getting pretty cold at night."

"Good to know," Rory kicked her suitcase over on its side and began to look for her coat so she wouldn't forget in the morning. "I should pick up a scarf. Hey, is there anything cute at your mom's store?"

"Definitely. We'll check it out. I'm a little bummed I don't get to see you working tomorrow."

"You won't miss much, really." Rory grimaced at the wrinkled coat and hung it in the bathroom, hoping the steam from her shower would loosen some of the wrinkles. "It's not like you'd be able to discuss climate change and funding for science-based programs, you know," Rory smirked. April had mentioned as much when she'd first suggested they meet up when the tour stopped in New Mexico.

"I know, I know," April walked out of the small office and noticed her mother was leaning against the checkout counter, waiting patiently. Feeling grateful for the massive favor her mother was doing for her, April decided to cut the call short rather than wait until her mom started nagging her for taking too long. "Okay, so we have a plan. I've gotta go, but I'll see you on Sunday at eight! Bye!"

"Bye, April," Rory ended the call. As she looked at her phone, she noticed she had several unread texts, and scrolled through to find photos of her mother modeling a maroon SUV. She pouted as her mom's cell phone went straight to voicemail, then realized she'd likely be in the middle of Friday night dinner. She smiled as she read through the texts, which began when they left for the car dealerships, and ended with "2008 Dodge Durango and maroon! huge! but we'll all fit!"

After her shower, Rory quickly ironed out the remaining wrinkles on her coat that the steam couldn't take care of, and hung it in the closet. She glanced at the leftover sandwich she'd saved from earlier and frowned. She wanted something comforting. Soup. Chili. Ooh, Luke's chili fries. She reminded herself she had less than a month before her next sampling of the delicacy, and decided to look through the list of nearby establishments to see if there was anything worth venturing out for.

She wasn't sure she could stomach more crappy food. A nearby bar seemed intent on advertising their status as a gastropub, and they were open late.

Rory reached for her phone to see if anyone else had decided they needed to escape their room yet, and seeing no offers, decided to text Eric and Kyla, suggesting they pass on the news to the rest of the usual group. Within minutes, confirmation had arrived that Earl's was definitely the place to be, and Rory was immediately inspired to change out of her sweats.

She stared at her open suitcase, trying to decide between a cute new top she'd picked up in California and a maroon t-shirt. A voice in the back of her head reminded her that if she was looking to meet anyone, the t-shirt wasn't exactly impressive. In the same moment, the look of disappointment on Miles' face came to mind. They'd barely talked since his outburst. Rory frowned in frustration and reached for the new shirt and a pair of heels.

Ten minutes later, Rory pushed open the door to Earl's Pub, left her coat on the rack near the door, and walked over to the table Kyla and Eric were seated at. Soon, they'd decided on a huge order of artisan buffalo wings, whatever that meant, some fancy twist on potato skins, and truffle fries. Eric was about to order Rory a beer, but she shook her head and ordered an old fashioned instead. It had been a favorite drink of Logan's and one for which she'd developed a taste as well. She realized, as she ordered, it was the first time something from her time with him felt more nostalgic than painful.

As the night progressed, most of the press corps was drunk, and Rory was growing less and less impressed with the people around her. She wondered what Miles was up to, and just as she opened her phone to break the ice and see if he wanted to rent a movie, one of the bartenders paused in front of her to wipe up a small spill that had traveled in her direction.

"You guys are here with the Obama campaign, huh?"

"Press," Rory smiled, sliding her phone back into her pocket, happy to find someone sober to talk to. "You're not Earl, are you?"

He snorted, "Brett. I don't even know who Earl is. For all I know he could be the Duke of. Or he could be an Earl _of_ something. Cambridge. Kent. Wessex."

"Sandwich?" Rory offered, motioning to a man resting his head on his order at a table near the bar.

Brett laughed, "Or maybe he's just Earl Smith or something."

"Maybe. Speaking of names, since you gave me yours, I'm Rory," she held out her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Rory. How long are you guys in town?"

"Just till morning. Bus heads to New Mexico tomorrow."

Brett filled a few more orders, and raised his eyebrows as a completely wasted reporter - still wearing his press credentials from earlier in the day - slammed against the bar and attempted to order "one lassssssshot of tequila".

"Buddy, don't you have a bus to be on early tomorrow morning? I think one last shot of tequila's going to make that pretty unbearable," Brett replied.

"Bus? Where we goin'?" The man frowned in confusion, squinting hard to try and make out Brett's face.

"New Mexico, my man! An upgrade from the old one! Pretty exciting."

Quickly, Brett had the drunk man extremely excited about his upcoming trip to Newer Mexico, and convinced him to drink a few glasses of water instead of ordering another shot of tequila.

"You're good at that," Rory laughed.

Brett rolled his eyes, "Designated driver for too many parties at school, and I've managed to prevent any puking in my car so far. If I can make it through this year, I'll have a clean slate."

"And clean upholstery," she agreed, recalling how many times Logan had paid to have her car steam cleaned after she'd been talked into being the designated driver for him, Colin, and Finn. "You're in school?"

Brett nodded. "Business major at Northern Arizona University. Senior year." Rory wrinkled her nose at the mention of business major, causing Brett to eye her carefully, "What, you don't like the school? You a Southern Utah alum or something?"

"Not familiar with the school, to be honest. My ex was a business major."

"Ah! So it's business majors you take issue you with. I'm not a future wall street executive, I'd just like to use the knowledge to run my own bar someday. Kind of a waste of money, I probably should've just gone to business school, but... everyone in my family has gone to NAU, and I'm too much of a wuss to fight against it. Where'd you go?"

"Yale," Rory replied feigning disinterest in her school, knowing the Ivy League thing tended to draw assumptions of a pretentious upbringing. "I actually wanted to go to another school my whole life, but... when it came down to it, Yale was the right school after all. My grandfather went there, too, so I get the family connection thing."

"Okay, Ms. Smarty Pants," Brett raised his eyebrows. "And is this the life you dreamed of in your fancy Yale dorm room?"

"Not quite," she laughed. "But, I'll get there eventually."

He nodded appreciatively. "I like your optimistic thinking, Rory."

Brett disappeared to the other side of the bar for awhile, and Kyla, one of the only other sober people left, dropped onto the stool next to Rory.

"So, Eric's outside puking," Kyla grimaced. "I promised to make sure to get him to his door. Why did I do that?"

"You're a good friend?"

"Yeah. If he pukes on my shoes, I'm out. Night's not completely lost, though," Kyla stuck her thumb over her shoulder at the dart board. "I managed to win a hundred bucks off some drunk idiot from the Washington Post who decided we should place bets. He could barely see the dart in his hand."

"Well done," Rory grinned.

Kyla looked over at Brett as he winked at Rory while convincing yet another overly drunk member of the press to take it easy and head back to the hotel. She raised an eyebrow at Rory.

"Uh, I think the 'well done' goes to you, my friend. He's cute."

"Huh?" Rory shook her head, "Oh, we were just talk-" She stopped mid-sentence and wanted to kick herself for being dumb, blind, and completely oblivious.

"Uh-huh," Kyla slid off the stool and grinned. "Have a good night, Rory."

Rory smiled half-heartedly and glanced over at Brett thoughtfully.

"Uh-oh, what's that about?" Brett asked as he took in her expression.

"Nothing. Just thinking about coffee," she gestured to the pot of coffee behind him.

"You like coffee?"

"Yes. Very much. It's in my genes," Rory replied.

"Then you do not want that coffee. I like coffee. I _love_ coffee. I work late nights and have morning business law classes, and even I won't touch _that_ no matter how long it takes the last drunk to get back to his lonely, miserable life."

"Wow, got it. The stuff is bad."

"Well done. You get an A in Earl's Coffee 101." Brett glanced at his watch and looked back at Rory thoughtfully, "You heading back to your hotel soon?"

Rory shrugged, "Company's decent, I'm in no rush."

"Then I'll let you in on a secret. The good coffee's at a cafe really close by. If you don't mind watching me load this dishwasher, I'll introduce you when I'm done. Whaddya say?"

Rory remembered going through a phase with Lane where they obsessively read Choose Your Own Adventure stories. Lane would read through them once, enjoy the journey it lead her on, and accept it as her fate. Rory, however, would read each book obsessively. She'd use color-coded post-it notes to mark the different paths she wanted to go back and read so she could figure out all of the options before deciding which told the most fulfilling story. Then, she'd go back and read her ideal tale, following the appropriately colored post-its.

When Lorelai had stumbled across the madness, she dared Rory to try it Lane's way. She did, and wound up drowning in quick sand. Frustrated, she'd dropped the book on her mother's lap and told her what happened. Lorelai had chuckled, handed the book back to her, and told her to start over and see if she made different choices next time, but not to try so hard to keep track of it all, to just enjoy it, not study it.

Looking back, the moment had strongly outlined the difference in their personalities. Lorelai was willing to take the journey. And if she failed, she'd start over again. Her willingness to give Luke yet another chance was evidence of that. Rory... she wanted all the answers. It's why she'd developed the pro/con list system in the first place. But life, she had learned, was not always so easy to strategize with post-its or a pro/con list.

Rory cocked her head as she considered Brett's offer.

If you decide to join Brett, turn to page 52.  
If you decide to return to your hotel room, turn to page 15.

"My mother taught me to never turn down a good cup of coffee," Rory grinned.

Page 52, it was.

* * *

Rory stared at the ceiling, still feeling wired from the coffee she'd consumed, and glanced over at the clock on the nightstand.

 ** _[ 3:52am ]_**

She sighed and closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep, but her thoughts ran rampant.

As it turned out, she'd passed the cafe on her way to Earl's without even realizing it. Brett had suggested his favorite coffee blend and the two of them sat on a couch, discussing everything from goofy cartoons they'd loved as kids to Barack Obama's most recent speeches.

It was fun, and Rory enjoyed talking to someone who wasn't stressing about a deadline or an editor. And furthermore, Brett was a nice, genuine guy who equally enjoyed the fine art of bantering.

* * *

Her eyes popped open again and, not noticing a difference in the amount of light streaming into the room's window, stared at the clock.

 _ **[ 3:59am ]**_

 ** _[ 4:00am ]_**

 ** _[ 4:01am ]_**

Rory bit her lip, closed her eyes again, and turned her head away from the glowing numbers.

Biscotti had been ordered along with their second cups of coffee. It reminded her of the biscotti she and her mother had brought home from Europe, and she'd told Brett as much. He'd seemed impressed she not only had managed to do the whole backpacking through Europe after high school thing, but had gone with her mother of all people. They split another piece of biscotti in honor of Lorelai Gilmore, who they agreed, must certainly be the coolest mother in existence.

When the biscotti was gone, they'd joked about their lack of recent social lives. They both knew what it was like to constantly be running around in the same circles of people, rendering dating options very slim. Without any recent experiences to laugh about, they both told stories about their exes, trying to one up each other on whose relationships had been the most disastrous.

Naturally, tales of the Huntzberger family made her the winner, for which Brett bought her a chocolate chip cookie. His last girlfriend had been no treat, however, so Rory felt it was only fair to split the cookie with him.

Rory felt herself starting to finally doze.

* * *

She jerked awake and rolled over to check the clock.

 ** _[ 4:30am ]_**

Their conversation had grown serious as they talked about their futures. Rory had divulged she wasn't half as sure about her life as she'd let on in the bar. Brett understood. He was terrified he'd graduate and still be working at Earl's a year later. Or worse, decide to go onto grad school simply due to his lack of certainty.

They spoke words of encouragement to each other, based on the tiny bits of knowledge they'd come to learn about the other.

Brett's family, while pushy, did love him and would support anything he did. Not everyone was so lucky, she'd told him, and provided a little more details about Logan's sad family life. She also talked about her mother, and how she managed to raise a kid, go to school, and open her own inn. If she could do it with so little support, Brett, who had so many people rooting for him, could make it happen.

In turn, Brett pointed out that this press tour was an amazing learning experience Rory needed to have before she took things to the next level and set out to explore the world. He reminded her that the coolest mom in existence would always be there too. That it was okay to miss home, but Rory's aspirations were too important to set aside. And as long as she took a break from time to time to touch base with where she came from, she'd survive being a nomad.

It was at that moment that she'd kissed him. They had been subconsciously moving toward one another as they talked, and she hadn't realized quite how close they'd gotten. The kiss was initially a way to distance herself from the emotions Brett had managed to dredge up; it was the best thing she could think of to thank him for his kind words, while also distracting herself from crying.

But his lips were soft, and his kisses were flawless.

Rory stared at the red numbers of the clock until her eyes lost focus and the digits blurred, then closed her eyes again.

* * *

 ** _[ 6:30am ]_**

Rory realized, as she awoke to the sunlight starting to fill the room, that while the last conversation with her mother had been helpful, Lorelai had never taken one of her one time dates back home.

Thus, they had not covered the topic of what to do when the _guy_ is the one who accidentally sleeps over.

As Brett's eyes blinked open and he realized where he was, his gaze met Rory's, and they shared a brief moment of recognition.

It was then Rory discovered the real problem with her one night stand.

Relationship girl had hooked up with relationship boy.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: So much "WTF" happening in your mind right now, I know. Don't hate me! Hang in there! We'll get through it together. Trust me? =)_


	24. Call Me But Love & I'll Be New Baptized

**Chapter 24: Call Me But Love, and I'll Be New Baptized**

"There she is!" April yelled.

Anna had barely put the car in park before April threw open the door and ran a few feet away to tackle Rory in a hug.

She couldn't help but chuckle as she watched her daughter. For all the times April acted like she was way too cool for just about anything, there were still moments where she was ten again. She glanced up as Rory laughed gleefully with April, repeatedly gesturing toward the car as she tried to take tiny steps toward it. Anna rolled down the window.

"April, why don't you let Rory in the car so she can halt the transition into an icicle."

Rory smiled gratefully and hopped in the warm back seat.

"Sorry, sorry," April laughed, sitting in the passenger seat as she rolled up the window. "How was the drive?"

"Oh, you know. About the same as the last two hundred bus rides or so," Rory replied with a light tone, telling a white lie as she did so.

The truth was, the ride had been among the worst. Most of the bus was hungover, and at least three people sounded like they were becoming acquainted with the as-yet unused barf bags. To say nothing of Rory's conscience, which had seemed to make it a personal goal to nag her the entire highway.

Loud music, spending all of Saturday immersed in work, and falling into an exhausted sleep kept her conscience at bay, but she could still sense it lurking in the shadows. She shook it off, disconnecting from thinking too much by choosing to focus entirely on April, "You ready for your swim meet?"

"It's just an exposition, doesn't count for the season," April shrugged. "It'll be good experience, but I'm not expecting to do much. They're almost all varsity teams, most of whom are old enough to vote."

"Lu- uh, I'd heard your new coach was pretty impressive," Rory replied, wincing internally at her stumble. Her goal was to mention her mother, Luke, and Stars Hollow less than five times in Anna's presence. She now had four and a half mentions left.

"She is. But she's not a miracle worker. Hey, did Dad tell you we found a place for riding lessons?"

"Traitor," Rory muttered causing April to laugh.

April and Rory continued their chatter until they arrived at the pool, at which point April mouthed "good luck" at Rory before taking off to the locker room. Anna and Rory smiled awkwardly at each other for a moment.

"Um, I usually sit over here. It's near the board which is the first thing she checks when she pops up," Anna shrugged a little, "It's a Mom thing."

Rory smiled, "Yeah, sounds like something my mom would do." Three point five.

"This is a little weird," Anna admitted as they sat on the bench.

"No, I..." Rory looked up at Anna. "Yeah, okay. It is. Um. I'm sure April told you we kind of met once before."

"I vaguely remember it, actually. Didn't you buy a bag?"

"Yeah," Rory swallowed, "I want you to know I wasn't... trying to spy on you... or anything like that. My mom had no idea I was there. It was a weird situation." Two point five. Not mentioning her mother was a lot harder than Rory had expected.

Anna laughed awkwardly, "It _was_. On many levels." She shook her head, "Look. We can sit here and make this weirder, or we can just move forward. What your mom, Luke, and I probably still have to talk about doesn't involve you directly. I mean, you're here sitting with me for an hour to spend maybe five minutes cheering on my kid. You probably have a million other things you'd rather be doing."

Rory shrugged, "Actually, it's really nice to get away from everything. And April's great. We spent a lot of time together when I was in Stars Hollow this summer."

A wry grin crossed Anna's face, "So I heard. And heard. And heard some more. If the kid wasn't already interested in Yale, I'd think she was just considering it because you went there."

"Hardly. She's more independent than I was at her age."

"I don't know. She said you used to take a bus all the way to Hartford from Stars Hollow for a private school?"

Rory thought of April's hidden stash of boarding school pamphlets and wondered if this was how April had been segueing into telling her mom about them. "I did. Although, my grandparents lived close by, so if there was ever an emergency, it wasn't like I was on my own. And I did end up stuck there during snow storms a few times."

Anna nodded. "April's been talking about different prep schools lately. I am so not ready for her to be thinking about college, but... well, I'm sure you were no different."

Rory couldn't help but laugh, "Uh, I was three, I think? Maybe four? I wanted to start school and was asking about how the whole system worked. Once my mom was explaining college, I thought it was the best thing ever. Adults could choose to go to school or choose not to, and obviously, I couldn't imagine not wanting to go to school, so I determined the best people alive must be at colleges, and immediately wanted to go to the best school possible. I honestly don't remember now how I learned what Harvard was, but I know I had my first Harvard sweatshirt by the time I was four."

"Wow," Anna shook her head. "Harvard, huh? And yet... Yale."

"And yet Yale," Rory nodded. "My mom had been so against it - she's never gotten along well with my grandparents and my grandfather went to Yale - but when I got accepted to both Yale and Harvard, we had a massive decision to make."

"You chose Yale to make your mom upset?"

"No, in the end, she was actually more in favor of Yale than I was. We had these huge pro/con lists to determine the best option, and... Yale somehow managed to rank more highly than Harvard _and_ Princeton. Up until that point, I'd made every major decision with those pro/con lists, and once Yale was winning, I was ready to throw them out since it was supposed to have been Harvard. My mom disagreed despite that, and I really started thinking about it."

She lost herself in the memory for a moment before continuing, "The inn my mom worked for caught fire that night, and it caused major chaos, but she still managed to replace all the Harvard decor in my room with Yale stuff before I got home the next morning. I'll never forget that."

Anna felt the story tug at her heartstrings a little. There really wasn't anything she or Lorelai wouldn't do for their daughters.

"That's pretty special," Anna smiled.

"Yeah, that's... my mom," Rory nodded, feeling happy, proud, and sad all at once.

Anna watched Rory's face, intrigued to be learning a little more about her daughter's future step-mother from such an odd source.

"You miss her."

"All the time," Rory confirmed without a second thought. She clenched her teeth as she thought back to a recent conversation in a coffee shop about her mom and home. Nope. Not going there. Her focus moved down to the ripples of water in the pool.

Anna nodded. It warmed her heart to hear that an adult daughter could still have that kind of connection to her mother. She desperately hoped she and April would have that kind of relationship by the time she went off to college. Of course, if the science camp was anything to go by, things were not looking particularly promising.

"Are you going to be able to make it home for the wedding?"

"The timing actually works _really_ well for me since we'll be in the area by then. The only other time it would've worked out was Christmas, and I have no idea what next year's schedule will look like." Rory's eyes widened at the thought of an entire year of unknowns, and she whispered, half to herself, "Geez, next year..."

Anna was about to ask another question when the announcer began welcoming the crowd to the meet. She pointed out April, who Rory couldn't quite differentiate from the dozens of other girls in similarly colored swimsuits, caps, and goggles. Rory determined it must be another "mom thing".

As April predicted, the other team had scored far more highly, but it hadn't mattered - she had beaten several of her personal best times, and was ecstatic as they drove to brunch.

* * *

"Hey, you look happy." Lorelai raised her eyebrows as she walked into the diner and sat down at the counter.

Luke slid his open phone across the counter, still grinning. Lorelai cocked her head as she grabbed it, interested to see what had made him so cheerful. On the screen was a photo of April and Rory outside a museum.

"Aww, our babies!" she smiled proudly, staring at it, then pouted at it a little, "Babies... god, they both look so old."

"That they do," Luke sighed, shutting his phone and sliding it in his pocket. He nodded to one of the empty tables. "You said you wanted to have dinner here, I'm not eating at the counter."

"Well, then come on. I have things to show you," she wagged her eyebrows as she walked to the table he'd indicated. Once situated, Lorelai laced her fingers together atop the table. "So. How do you feel about a honeymoon?"

"Well, without them, you can't really complain that the honeymoon's over, right?" Luke joked, his tone sarcastic.

"Ugh, such a Luke thing to say," Lorelai scoffed. "An _old_ Luke thing to say." She eyed him, "Can I have my sweet fiancé back? He's a little less grumpy now. This is the diner guy I remember from many years ago who tried to tell me he hated marriage and kids and-"

Luke rolled his eyes, "Fine. Honeymoon. I approve of the idea." He waited, knowing this would eventually involve the contents of the bag Lorelai had carried in, but he would have to play along before he could see what was inside.

"I'm very glad to hear you say that," she grinned. "Did you have a destination in mind?"

Luke shrugged, "I don't know. Someplace different?"

"Different than..."

"Here? Uh... different than we'd, well, than we'd go if we normally went somewhere for vacation."

" _Very_ helpful," Lorelai glared at him. "Are you thinking international? Domestic?"

"Domestic."

Lorelai nodded, smiling. She loved when he had an immediate answer to something, and it was already one of the funnest parts of planning their wedding. Planning the honeymoon seemed as though it might be as equally enjoyable.

"Domestic. Now, we have narrowed it down to a minimum of about fifty options. Unless you count Canada or Mexico which, while not technically domestic, do require the use of a passport. Weather, possibly, might be a-"

Luke knew if he didn't start being more specific, this would never end. "I think it should be somewhere that can cater to both of us. Something with a little greenery and fresh air, but also has, y'know, _shopping_."

"Oh please, you say it like that, but you know you're gonna bring home a souvenir or ten for April," she bit her lip as she glanced into her bag, "Anyway. Interesting approach. So greenery implies warmth, then, right? Because we can't very well experience greenery in our general vicinity for several more months."

"Someplace warm sounds great," Luke nodded.

Lorelai reached into the bag, pushed the European travel brochures out of the way, several others, and flipped through some of the remaining pieces of glossy paper.

"Why don't you just let me..." Luke reached across the table, his hands aiming for the bag in her hands, and she gasped, jerking it away.

"Hey! This is mine. If you wanted to be the one to bring up the honeymoon discussion, you should've done your own homework. There's a process. Give me a second," she frowned at him, and went back to digging through her bag.

Luke sighed and stood to retrieve the coffee he knew she was about five seconds from requesting, and returned to the table to find it covered in meticulously organized travel brochures. Of course.

He handed California and Florida back to her, and began eyeing Puerto Rico and Hawaii. He noticed the Hawaii section was pretty thick, and flipped it open to find several other brochures, including one for each island. Without looking up, he pushed Puerto Rico back to her.

Lorelai's eyes widened as she realized what was left, "Really. Hawaii. Luke Danes in Hawaii."

"Stop thinking about Hawaiian shirts," he muttered, still looking through the several new brochures he'd uncovered.

"Oh, fine, fine. Grass skirts? Coconut bras? Aww, Luke Danes in a coco- yeah, okay, okay." She held her hands up in surrender at his glare and leaned forward over the table, tucking her leg under herself to get a better view of the brochures he was most interested in.

"The main island seems more your style," Luke noted.

"The big island," Lorelai corrected and he glanced up. "What? That's what they call it. I looked through all of these already so I knew which brochures were the good ones and which I didn't even need to bother grabbing. May I?" He sat back and she pulled open the one for Kauai. "This is the one I think you'll like the most. Very outdoorsy."

Luke nodded and read for a few minutes, then glanced up as he saw Cesar approaching with their plates and handed the stack of brochures back to Lorelai. "Kauai is _very_ outdoorsy. We're not going there just so you can sit on a beach and I can go hiking alone."

"Uh, I'll do your hiking stuff with you. It's not my thing _normally_ but it's hiking in Hawaii which leads to waterfalls and pretty, hidden beaches. Hikes here? Not so much. Plus it's our honeymoon. I don't want to sit on a beach alone. You give me some beach time, I give you some hike time, and we practice that whole compromising thing spouses are supposed to be so good at."

Luke raised his eyebrows in surprise. Not at all what he'd expected. In fact, he'd guessed the honeymoon discussion was going to be somewhat like pulling teeth as they tried to find a place they could both agree on.

"That was way easier than I anticipated," Lorelai echoed his thoughts after swallowing the first bite of her burger. "We can sort out the details later tonight at home, so we can write stuff down. Hawaii. I'm still shocked. It's just such a cliché spot for a honeymoon. I thought you'd want something more unique."

"I don't care what other people are doing. I said warmth, greenery, and shopping. It's got all three," he shrugged.

"When should we go? I know the standard thing to do is go right after the wedding, but I don't really know what the girls' schedules will be like and if we can spend any extra time after with them, I'd much rather do that."

"Yeah," Luke nodded. "Especially since Rory might be within driving distance a few times after the wedding."

Lorelai smiled at the thought of Rory being within driving distance, and the fact that Luke was clearly as familiar with Rory's schedule as she was. "What about the first week of December?"

"Only a week?" Luke frowned, "Can't we go for two, or is that a bad time for the inn?"

"Two weeks? You _are_ full of surprises. The inn will be fine. I love two weeks. I didn't think you would," she grinned widely and stared past Luke, her mind wandering.

Luke laughed at the dreamy expression on her face, "Already there, huh?"

"We'll have nice tans for winter. Everyone will be jealous. Ooh, you're gonna need more shorts."

* * *

"And, finally, this is my room," April gestured dramatically, inviting Rory in.

"You bought two of the same poster?" Rory pointed to a poster April had also added to their bedroom in Stars Hollow.

"It's an artistic rendering of the periodic table of elements, it's neat!" April laughed. "I wish you could stay another day. I feel like today went by so fast."

Rory patted April's shoulder as she sat on her desk chair, "Yeah, but we'll hang out next month, and you know we'll be doing a bunch of wedding conference calls between now and then."

April nodded, pouting, "I wish we were there for it, though. Your mom's gotta be so much fun to plan weddings with."

Rory thought back to Max. Poor Max. They'd had a blast planning that wedding. They had the big, over-decorated notebook and the massive stack of wedding magazines they'd cut things out of... but looking back, Rory knew that if she'd been a little older and a little wiser, she would have sensed something was off with her mother. The road trip and wedding cancelation would have hardly come as a surprise. Fortunately, they'd both grown so much since then.

"Yeah, I hope she's not driving Luke too crazy."

"Please. He's probably watching her with goo goo eyes," April shook her head, envisioning the scene. "Maybe it's a good thing we're not there. Though, I don't know, it's your _mom_... I think I'd want to be around for my mom's wedding planning. Does it make you sad you're not there?"

"A little," Rory admitted. "But at least she's figured out how to use the camera on her phone. Did you see the car?"

"Oh my god, it's huge. I get the back row."

"Fine by me, it'll be easier to not have to climb back there all the time," Rory laughed. "I may have to join you by this time next year, though. Middle row might end up occupied by then."

"True," April nodded, and thought back to seeing her dad with Lane and Sookie's kids and how jealous she'd felt. She pouted a little. "Lucky future Gilmore-Danes kids."

"Things seem to have improved with your mom, I noticed," Rory offered, trying to make April feel a little better.

"Um, they have. It took awhile. We haven't had, like, any deep or heartfelt conversations, but... things aren't weird and awkward anymore."

"Have you brought up the school stuff?" Rory asked.

April shook her head. "Not _quite_ there yet. She'd freak out. I'm slowly warming her up to it. I have application deadlines in code on my calendar, so I have a little time before it becomes a big deal." April's eyes widened as she heard the front door open and she whispered, "Wow, five seconds later with that question and that would've been bad."

"That's because secrets _are_ bad," Rory whispered back, smirking. She'd never had good luck with secrets. Her mom seemed to always figure them out, one way or another.

"Back here, Mom!" April called.

"Ah, hey," Anna smiled. "Rory, you said eight, right?"

"Yeah," Rory's shoulders slumped slightly at the thought. "I need to re-pack a few things, and the bus leaves at ten tonight, and there's a stop, uh, in some farm town on the way to Austin, Texas. Eleven hours of bus."

Eleven hours of the back of Miles' head.

Eleven hours of loud conscience.

Eleven hours of regret.

Eleven hours of-

"Well, Austin's cool," Anna smiled hopefully. "Farm town in Texas, not so much, but you know, there's that whole thing about going through the bad times in life to get to... yeah, I've got nothing. That's a long drive through a lot of flat landscape."

"Yep. The farther east, the closer to home, that's what I keep reminding myself," Rory stood and glanced over to see April pouting. "Come on, little sister, we've got ten minutes to split up the candy we bought, otherwise I'm taking the whole bag."

* * *

"So, then. Three islands. Two weeks. Hawaii first, then Kauai, then Maui. Doable?"

"Doable," Luke replied, groaning as he stood up from their planning station around the coffee table. He leaned over, slid his finger under the back cover of Lorelai's notebook, and flipped it shut.

"Hey!"

"Lorelai, you have more of our honeymoon planned than the wedding," Luke laughed as he stretched.

"Uh-huh, one requires advanced reservations with me. The other requires advanced reservations with _not_ me. Who do you think is going to be more flexible about plans?" She opened it again, glaring. "Plus, all these brochures go in these little pockets here unless you actually like them all over the coffee table. I mean, I don't mind it, but it could get a little annoying, you know, when the wind blows, or we actually want to-"

"Lorelai," Luke sighed and collapsed onto the couch behind him. "Where did you get all these anyway?"

Lorelai grinned as she collected the relevant Hawaii brochures and stored them in the folder, "We have a travel agent that we advertise with. I had a meeting over there, so I figured it couldn't hurt to take a look at a few options. But then, of course, I didn't really know what I was looking for, and that turned into me grabbing reading through a bunch of stuff, and grabbing about half of everything they had. You know, there are a few other warm, tropical places we could go to as well. They just require a passport. And I _know_ you have a passport."

"No, I like Hawaii. We just spent two hours talking about Hawaii. We're going to Hawaii."

"Okay, then. You want to move onto more wedding talk, or call it a night?" Lorelai asked, closing the binder.

"I'm fine with more wedding talk as long as I don't have to sit on the floor at the coffee table. My ass is numb and my back hurts," Luke glanced down at the front cover of her binder and pointed. "This is very business-like. I expected, I dunno, glitter."

Lorelai ran her hand over the cover of the maroon binder and its white paper inserts, "Yeah, Gabby started it for me using the standard Dragonfly wedding planning stuff, so I didn't get to do anything crazy with it. It just has the inserts and paperwork we use for all the weddings at the inn. I should probably have a separate one to leave with her and one for my own stuff, but this just seemed easier. What's with the weird expression?"

"It just says Danes wedding."

"Riiiiiight." Lorelai replied, looking at him oddly, "I might want to use ideas from it for future clients. Once everything's set in stone, it'll get stored in my office in between the Martin-Connery wedding and the Espinosa wedding."

"Martin-Connery?"

"No one you know, they're not from around here. It's in the C's because of the last name after the hyphen, though you're right, I guess I could move it to the M's. Why are we talking about this?"

"Danes wedding, not Gilmore-Danes wedding?"

Lorelai shrugged, "We usually only hyphenate if the bride is, or if she's keeping her name. Oh. That... doesn't bother you... I mean... we didn't really talk about..."

"I figured it was Gabby just making assumptions..." Luke looked at her thoughtfully, trying to make sure he was hearing correctly.

"Ah. Um, no. It was a conscious decision. You're... _are_ you okay with that?"

"Uh. Yeah. I just... really wouldn't have expected it. You've been Lorelai Gilmore for a pretty long time."

Lorelai reached out and smacked his knee. "Not that long. That would imply I've been alive a pretty long time, and I'll have you know, I'm extremely young and very spry."

"Don't I know it," he smirked.

Lorelai rolled her eyes and laughed, then stood and walked over to Luke, joining him on the couch. She was quiet for a few moments, gathering her thoughts, her expression intense as she regarded him.

"Until now, I never considered changing my name. If we'd worked things out before... I probably would've kept Gilmore. And I'll probably still use it professionally considering I've managed to actually make a name for myself. But... I think... after everything... I've been engaged twice, married once, and this... it's different. And I really can't think of a better way to really... mark that difference. And the permanence of it. For me, because of everything we've been through... it's... important."

After everything they'd been through, he couldn't believe she could still find ways to completely catch him off guard. Luke stared, letting her words sink in. After a few minutes, he still found himself nearly speechless.

"That's... a pretty big deal," he managed.

"It is," Lorelai replied seriously. "You said it when you proposed, Luke. We thought we were all in before, and we didn't know what it really meant. I thought... so many times... I knew what that meant. But... for me, this time, for us, I really need it to mean _everything_."

Luke nodded, "Like the ring. Part of what was, but... different."

"It's us," Lorelai shrugged. "So it's okay?"

"It's... after everything that happened before, and everything we let get in the way... I don't have the words to tell you how okay I am with this."

"Yeah?" she grinned, moving closer to him.

"Yeah," he grinned back, hovering a few inches from her face, eyebrow raised.

"I'm glad to hear that, but you know, someone once told me it's important to let your actions speak," she whispered as she leaned in to kiss him.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: The decision for Lorelai to change her name was a tough one. I, personally, **hate** the tradition, and it's always seemed a little uncharacteristic of Lorelai. At first, it was a no-brainer - of course she wouldn't change her name! But then I started to question under what circumstances she might. So I thought long and hard about this, and put myself in Lorelai's head, eventually deciding that, at any other time, Lorelai would have definitely kept Gilmore. _

_But with everything they've been through... this is the **one time** I can see Lorelai using the name change as a HUGE symbolic gesture, for both her *and* Luke. __I think it would be very important to her to make sure that this was different from any other engagement or marriage she and Luke have under their belt; more than that, it shows he's accepting her as part of his family, and that she's letting go of something that has been a huge part of her identity. Y'know... "all in" and what not. So that's that. I couldn't go with my instinct, I had to view it from Lorelai's perspective. Rest assured, should I ever get married, I'll keep "Cattle Hockey" as my surname. ;)_

 _The title comes from none other than "Romeo and Juliet", in act 2, scene 2, after a far more famous passage (_ _"That which we call a rose / By any other word would smell as sweet.")_ _; below, in context:_

 _Juliet: "So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,  
_ _Retain that dear perfection which he owes  
_ _Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,  
_ _And for that name which is no part of thee  
_ _Take all myself."_

 _Romeo: "Take thee at thy word._  
 _Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized._  
 _Henceforth I never will be Romeo."_

 _(R &J is my least favorite work of The Bard, for a number of reasons, but this conversation, and that specific line... I couldn't get it out of my head, as it's so fitting in so many ways)._

 _More to come. You know I won't leave you hanging too long, especially with so much going on in this little corner of the world! xo -JCH_


	25. Emily Gilmore's Flower Shop

**Chapter 25: Emily Gilmore's Flower Shop**

"Sookie, stop fidgeting," Lorelai mumbled around the pins she held in her mouth.

"Sorry, sorry!"

Lorelai slid the rest of the pins into place and stood back, circling around her friend. "Okay, I think we're good. How does it feel?"

"Perfect. It's beautiful." Sookie smiled. "I can't believe you're making these. You have two weeks left until your wedding, you're making big changes to your own dress, and making mine, April's, and Rory's from scratch."

"And the ties and pocket squares for the men, don't forget," Lorelai added, putting away the rest of the pins in her sewing kit, "At least I'm very close to being done. The hectic part will be the last minute alterations for the girls. Okay, go change - and carefully please, I don't want to have to do this again," she eyed her friend.

For as easily as dresses and tuxes had fallen into place the last time Lorelai had planned her wedding to Luke, this time had not gone so smoothly. Either the colors were all wrong or the styles weren't quite right. She finally gave up and began looking at patterns and picking out the perfect eggplant fabric. Rory, Sookie, and April would all wear different dresses of their choosing that best suited their varied ages, heights, and shapes.

Luke had been relatively disinterested in his own wedding attire, and after Lorelai showed him several options, including the offer to simply wear his own suit, he found himself drawn to a black tuxedo, black dress shirt, and black vest, tying in the eggplant color with the pocket square and tie. Emily suggested a white flower and dark purple calla lily boutonniere to brighten it up a little, which Lorelai loved, and was met with an agreeable shrug from Luke.

Lorelai's own dress was undergoing minor alterations as well. The top was a little less floral and whimsical, the skirt changed significantly. She'd ditched the veil entirely, choosing a delicate beaded headband instead. She was still on the hunt for a lace shrug to keep her arms a little warmer in the cooler fall weather.

After changing, Sookie returned with her bridesmaid dress to find Lorelai bouncing a tear-streaked, sniffling Theo.

"Little man didn't like losing sight of you," Lorelai explained as she exchanged the sniffling infant for the dress.

Sookie took him and softly bounced him, "Awww, it's okay little guy, Mommy was just making sure Auntie Lorelai has the most perfectest wedding ever so she and Uncle Luke can make you a little friend to play with."

Lorelai snorted as she began to carefully hand-stitch a few of the trickier spots of the bodice, "Subtle, Sookie."

"Well, isn't that the plan? Leave the big bag of baby blockers at home for the honeymoon?"

"Big bag of-"

"Condoms, pills, whatever other fancy combinations of contraceptives you two kids are using nowadays to prevent little Theodores from making surprise entrances."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and focused on her sewing.

"Oh no. Did babysitting all three of my kids last week make Luke change his mind?" Sookie's eyes widened as she sat down to rest Theo on her knee.

"Hardly," Lorelai replied. She set her work down for a moment and sighed as she looked over at her friend.

"Did _you_ change your mind?" Sookie asked curiously.

"No. No minds have been changed."

"Then what's the issue?"

"Sookie, there's no issue!" Lorelai, exasperated, caved to her friend's needling. "We've broken what you hilariously refer to as Lorelai Gilmore's Rules for Contraceptives and are down to one method, not two or three, and, yes, there's a remote chance I could wind up knocked up on my wedding night. Now can you keep that to yourself or are Patty and Babette going to attack me with pregnancy tests at brunch the day after my wedding?"

"Oh," Sookie's eyes widened. "Did you ditch the pills?"

"Can I keep some of my sex life private?" Lorelai glared.

"Since when do we do that?" Sookie laughed.

"I don't know," Lorelai frowned, returning to the dress. "This just seems different. Luke gets a little sensitive about people knowing stuff, you know that."

"Okay, so no sordid details. You said remote chance, though. Are you keeping track of... stuff?"

"Yeah, I've been keeping track since Luke's whole... dream hangover. It should be around the right time, but I don't want to stress over it. I just want to celebrate being married to Luke. If something happens, that's great, but I'm fine not thinking about it for awhile. Can we change the subject now?"

"She says to the woman holding the baby," Sookie smirked.

"Maybe I'll just steal Theo and not have to go through the whole nine months of sharing my body with another human thing at all," Lorelai muttered.

"Too late now. If you'd offered when I first found out I was pregnant with him, I would've taken you up on that without a second thought," Sookie joked, giving Theo a loud smacking kiss on the side of his head, "Now, though, he's too much of a sweetie to let go."

"Or maybe I'll take the other two if you've forgotten how sweet they can be. I love Davey's frank observations. And Martha's such a daddy's girl, she's adorable."

"Not just Jackson. She loves the men. It's terrifying. I'm going to send her to a convent as soon as she turns thirteen."

Lorelai laughed, "She just knows that her daddy and Uncle Luke still have the arm power to lift her above their heads. I can't believe how tall she's gotten. I thought all your kids would be short."

"They'll be taller than me when they're in the third grade," Sookie whined.

"That's what you get for taking a tall man off the market and making things difficult for us poor tall girls."

"Actually, all of Jackson's exes were short," Sookie thought for a moment. "Y'know... Anna's the only one of Luke's exes that's shorter. He definitely has a thing for you tall, leggy types."

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. Though it wasn't the first time it had crossed her mind, the last thing she wanted to consider was Luke's initial attraction to her being simply due to her fitting his type. "The similarities end there, though."

"Except with Anna. I think, of all the women Luke's dated, she's the most similar to you."

"Aside from the scrappy single mom thing, I'm not seeing it," Lorelai frowned, sewing completely forgotten. "I told my kid's dad she existed. I always let her be a part of his life. When he showed up with Sherry, hard as it was, I still let Rory get to know her. Hell, we were ready to go into the delivery room with the woman when she was giving birth to GG."

"Hey, hey!" Sookie held up her hand defensively, "I'm not saying you're clones of each other. Obviously, I wasn't talking about the kid thing. And I thought things were better with Anna lately."

"They are. I mean, a little. I know Luke has his own guilt about what happened before, but there's a lot Anna put him through needlessly. I don't think either of us are ever going to be able to completely get past that. And with her being so far away, we don't really have to deal with it much," Lorelai explained, and finally turned her attention back to Sookie's dress.

Theo began fussing and Sookie decided to take him home, leaving Lorelai to focus on the task at hand. Lorelai let her thoughts wander back to Luke's exes as she worked on Sookie's dress. She wondered if Rachel would've come back had she known how long it had taken Luke to actually make a move. Or if she'd heard about either of their breakups. Luke never mentioned them, but Lorelai knew Rachel still had family in the area, so she must have come across some amount of Stars Hollow gossip over the years.

Then there was Nicole, who, in the end, Lorelai did feel bad for. Despite being the only woman to actually claim the title of Mrs. Backwards Baseball Cap, Nicole had shown up during a time when the long-lived mutual attraction between Luke and Lorelai was starting to become unavoidable. Lorelai would always wonder what would've happened if Reverend Skinner hadn't interrupted her the night she and Luke broke the church bells. It had been right there on the tip of her tongue after Luke wouldn't let up with the questioning.

Lorelai glanced up as Paul Anka bolted toward the front door. It opened to reveal Luke, who bent down to greet the dog before making his way into the living room.

"Sorry," Lorelai grimaced, glancing around at the vast amounts of eggplant fabric and partially finished dresses cluttering up the room. "It just made more sense to work down here with Sookie and Theo here."

"It's fine," Luke shrugged, giving her a quick kiss. "Gonna go upstairs and take a shower."

Lorelai glanced at the clock and frowned, "You're home early for a Saturday. Everything okay?"

Luke sighed, "I was kicked out of my own establishment by my second in command. I was trying to help, he ended up splattering me with fry grease, and yelled at me to get out of his way."

"I thought that's what I smelled. Now I'm hungry. _Were_ you in Cesar's way?"

"Yeah. John wasn't going to work today, but changed his mind at the last minute, so I decided to work in the kitchen with Cesar, and... you now know how that turned out. Whatever. I'll be back," Luke grumbled, taking the steps two at a time.

Lorelai chuckled and snipped off the last bit of thread, then started working on cleaning up the living room and taking her work back upstairs. Once everything was back in its place, she heard the phone ring as she made her way downstairs. She considered hurrying to get to it, but decided to let the machine pick it up, and listened as she grabbed a treat for Paul Anka from the kitchen.

"Luke, it's Anna," Anna's voice filled the room, sounding tense and tired, "I know you're in the middle of wedding preparations, and I wouldn't be bothering you otherwise, but something's come up over here and I need to talk to you as soon as possible. Um, call my cell phone, not the house, I'm going to be all over Alb-"

Lorelai rushed over to the phone and grabbed it, knowing Luke wouldn't be too much longer.

"Hey, Anna, it's Lorelai. I was going to just have Luke call you back, but it sounded urgent. He just got home and will be out of the shower in a second. Is April okay?"

"Ah, hi Lorelai. April's fine. My mother passed away a few days ago," Anna responded.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. I mean, I'm... it's... we weren't..." Anna sighed, "It's hard. She has this ridiculous list of requests for her funeral and, you know, not having siblings is highly overrated at times like these."

Lorelai recalled her own experience having to run around Hartford to deal with her grandmother's funeral requests after her parents had both been unable to handle it.

"I have a bit of an idea of what you're going through," Lorelai sympathized. "Let me go check on Luke, hang on one sec."

Bolting up the stairs with the phone muted, she was surprised to still hear the shower running, and peeked behind the shower curtain. Luke raised an eyebrow in response.

"Joining me?" he leered.

"I wish. Not here for fun. Anna's on the phone and it's kind of important. April's fine, I just thought you'd be out and dressed by now."

"I was still de-greasing. I could still smell it in my hair," Luke made a face and ducked under the spray one final time to rinse off before shutting off the water and getting dressed. Lorelai handed him the phone and he talked as he followed her downstairs.

She walked into the kitchen to grab her cell phone, texting April as she took a seat at the kitchen table.

 _hey kid just heard the news. u ok?_

April replied immediately.

 _im good, just trying to help mom. will call tonight. tell dad not to worry._

Several minutes later, Luke filled a glass of water and joined Lorelai at the table with a heavy sigh.

"Everything okay?" Lorelai asked, somewhat concerned. She hadn't expected Luke to react quite so strongly and wondered if he'd known Anna's mom.

"Yeah. I guess. The funeral's next weekend. And they're, uh, moving back at the end of the school year."

"Really," she replied with a surprised smile. "How will that affect your custody arrangement?"

"We'll have to figure that out," Luke sighed. "If I recall correctly, we either figure it out ourselves, get it on paper, and meet with a judge to make it official, or if we can't agree on something, it's... back to court. But we have till June to deal with that, so I don't even want to think about it right now."

"You're happy about the move, though, right?"

"Yeah, of course," Luke ran his hand through his hair. "It's just… is it weird that my daughter's grandmother died a few days ago and I'm only hearing about it now?"

Lorelai thought about it. She didn't call Chris the first time her dad had heart problems and was in the hospital. If he'd died... at the time, she knew she wouldn't have called for a few days until things had settled. Still, things were significantly different between Luke and April compared to Chris and Rory.

"I think I understand feeling hurt that you weren't told, but I don't think you should read too deeply into it. If nothing else, it's a good sign things are better between Anna and April."

"Yeah," Luke replied quietly, taking a sip of water.

"I texted April. She said she'll call you later. I think they must've been pretty overwhelmed until today."

"Anna kinda implied that," Luke admitted. "I think I'm just being overly sensitive about it. I never even met Anna's parents, it's not like I should be a part of that. Or should I? It is my daughter's grandmother."

Lorelai shrugged and reached out to squeeze his hand, "Just wait till she calls later tonight, hon. April said to tell you not to worry."

"Sure. We're both so good at not worrying about our daughters," Luke rolled his eyes. He stared at the table in thought. Despite having just told Lorelai he didn't want to think about the custody arrangements yet, it was already starting to gnaw at him. He dreaded revisiting that, especially when things had finally gotten less awkward with Anna. Here he and Lorelai were, planning a wedding, again, and here Anna was already popping up. Again. Perhaps he should warn his custody lawyer in advance, just in case.

He looked closely at Lorelai, closing his hand over her's. She didn't seem worried, only confused that he was staring at her face. "Uh, you... you know you'll be a part of that, right?"

"Of worrying about both our daughters?" she teased.

"About April and Anna moving back and figuring out the custody stuff. You'll be a part of the whole thing."

Lorelai met his eyes as she spoke, "I wasn't worried."

"It would be the three of us sitting down and figuring that out, I hope you know that."

Lorelai cocked her head, "Four…"

"Four?"

"April's older this time around, Luke. I think she might have her own thoughts on the subject. Look at her outburst about Christmas plans. And, the thing is, there are also going to be times maybe she's supposed to be here some weekend and she wants to spend that weekend with a friend, instead."

"Oh. True." Luke thought about that for a moment. As long as April was happy, and he got to see her more often than he did now, it wasn't too big of a deal. "Anyway. I just didn't want you to think-"

"I didn't," She smiled reassuringly, squeezing his hand again, "I promise."

Luke smiled back, feeling relieved and incredibly grateful, "Before that happens, there's this whole wedding thing to focus on, anyway. The dresses seem to be coming along."

"I had to alter Sookie's. The top had to be taken in to account for the smaller chest now that she finished weaning Theo."

"Already?"

"Already what? Already smaller breastage? She switched to formula last month. Timing seems about right to me," Lorelai gave him a confused look.

"No, I mean, isn't that soon to be weaning him? I mean, I've read-"

"You've read about breastfeeding?" she laughed.

"I've... well!" Luke stood awkwardly, under the guise of refilling his half-empty water glass. "I've read, yes. I know how to be a part time dad to a teenager and that's it. Watching Doula was helpful, but that was just a week. We could be parents in less than a year, I mean, again, but the first time with a baby for me, and you told me to really consider all the ins and outs of it, so... I've read a little. And you know Liz, she overshares everything," he turned to face her, leaning back against the counter. "How long did you go with Rory?"

"Over a year. It was one of the few ways my mother and her litany of hired help couldn't interfere. And then after we got here, you know, free food... and it was nice. The bonding time and all."

"Yeah, that's what the books say too. About bonding and whatever."

"Books plural? Where are you hiding these?" Lorelai briefly considered bolting up the stairs to raid the bedroom, incredibly curious to see what he'd been reading.

"Two books, and Liz gave them to me after we watched Doula. They're at the diner, I've been reading through them on breaks. They're just parenting books. Nothing exciting," Luke took a sip of his water and glanced over at Lorelai. "Stop smiling at me like that."

"I can't help it, you're cute. I should marry you and take you off the market for good."

"Two weeks work for you?"

"I guess I can wait," she grinned.

* * *

"We couldn't agree on my last article in time, so he decided to re-feature one of my old ones," Rory complained as she waited for the slow free wi-fi at the truck stop to connect so she could check her email. "I just want your wedding to get here so I can come home."

"Sorry, I need the time to finish getting things ready, and besides, I still haven't found that elusive Remote Control for Life anyway. And if I did, I'd probably hit pause for a few days, not fast forward."

"Lame," Rory pouted. "Anything new?"

"Well," Lorelai sighed. "If I'm trying to make you happy, I don't have much else to give you. My only news is kind of a bummer."

"I can take it."

"April's grandmother died."

"Oh no," Rory frowned. "I'm surprised she didn't text me about it. I mean I just saw April two weeks ago and she said her grandmother seemed to be doing a little better."

"Luke hadn't heard anything until today, either. April said it's been crazy the last few days trying to deal with all the arrangements. I guess Anna's mom didn't have many of her affairs in order aside from weird funeral requests, and it's been a huge mess. Reminded me a lot of Gran, actually. Luke wanted to fly out there, but April told him not to, and I think the offer offended Anna a little."

"Offended?"

"You know, man swoops in to save the day."

"But that's what Luke does."

Lorelai chuckled, "I'll tell him you said that. Anyway, it sounds like they have it more under control now. And there is some good news that came of this. They're moving back to Connecticut at the end of the school year. It means we'll be revisiting custody agreements, which I think we're all dreading, but… it'll be good in the long run."

"Hey, Mom? Did you notice you said 'we'?"

"Yeah," Lorelai replied softly, "Luke's been very clear about making sure I understand I'm included. It's dumb, but it still makes me feel really good."

"It's not dumb. It hurt your relationship before. You're allowed to feel downright giddy to hear him say that." Rory glanced back at her laptop, looking for an email from Scott approving the rewrite to the article he'd thrown out, and glared at the notice that there were no new messages. "So, Hawaii, huh?"

"It's warm, it's pretty, it's relaxing. Neither of us have been there. There's enough hiking for Luke, and I already booked a few days at some campsite to surprise him with. It's not the rustic camping Luke would normally prefer, but it'll work for me, and they provide all the stuff. I expect at least one day of shopping in return, but mostly I just want to come home tan and smelling like coconuts."

"It's still so weird to me you've never gone anywhere together," Rory shook her head, shutting her laptop and heading back to the bus. "Logan and I… well… I guess it's easy when your dad's footing the bill for all your travel expenses…"

"Uh, yeah. Doesn't help that our relationship kinda started right around the time I was opening the inn, and money was tight."

"True. Well, I'm glad you guys are doing this. I really didn't think you'd end up going on a real honeymoon."

"Are you kidding? After all we've been through? We deserve like ten honeymoons. Anyway, enough about wedding stuff, I already have a list a mile long to annoy you and April with during our conference call tomorrow, and I don't want you to be too sick of talking about it. How's bus life?"

"Oddly quiet. I've been so busy dealing with Scott, I haven't had a ton of time for much else."

"No new World Traveler Miles stories?"

"No," Rory slid back into her seat and eyed the man to her right. Miles was leaning back against the window with his hat pulled over his eyes, his legs bent across the seat next to him. "He's actually been respecting the 'no talking while earbuds are in ears' rule and leaving me to my work," she whispered.

Miles had, in fact, been mostly avoiding Rory since New Mexico, which was now over two weeks ago. Their last conversation about anything other than work had been at the cafe in California when she'd made the mistake of inquiring about "dating" on the tour. Photo selection conversations had been made via email.

He'd claimed he wasn't mad, but if that were true, he had no reason to be avoiding her. And as far as Miles was concerned, Rory knew she had nothing to feel bad about. As unintentional as it had been, she'd done exactly as he'd requested and found someone unconnected to the press corps; it certainly wasn't Miles who was constantly plagued by that night.

"Ah, back on the bus?" Lorelai guessed.

"Yup. What's on your agenda for the day?"

"Well, your grandmother has set up an appointment for me with some florist who has promised not to charge an arm and a leg for a last minute wedding. At this point, I'm tempted to see if lying and confirming their suspicions that I'm pregnant will get me a pity discount."

Rory snorted, "Are people really implying that?"

"Only a few have said it. Others will not so subtly drop eye contact to double-check for any obvious physical manifestations."

"Tacky!"

"Nothing like a last minute wedding to rouse the rumor mill. Between Sookie and the florists, I'm not sure who's worse. Anyway, hopefully today's appointment works out and I don't have to fake a pregnancy to get a better price," Lorelai sighed. "With my luck, it would get around Stars Hollow like wildfire, and there goes my virginal reputation."

"Please, your dress isn't even white."

"Exactly," Lorelai smirked. "On a more serious note, are you doing okay? You still sound... what was it you said before? Sullen?"

"Yeah. Sullen works," Rory nodded to herself. "We'll talk when I'm home."

"Sounds serious."

"Not so serious," she promised. "Mom, don't worry about me, you have a wedding to deal with, and I'm sure Luke's going to be freaking out about April until she gets there."

"Okay, well, I'll pretend I'm not worried, then. In the meantime, I need to figure out where this florist is. Talk to you tomorrow while we hash out some wedding details?"

"Yep. Love you, Mom," Rory replied quietly and shoved her phone in her pocket, glancing again at Miles. She'd seen him sleep a million times, and he was far too twitchy for someone who normally slept like a dead man. She decided she was done with the lack of conversation between them and thumped the toe of his shoe.

"Wake up, Evenson. We need to talk."

"Stuff it, Gilmore," Miles growled.

Rory grinned. So far, so good.

"You stuff it. Why'd you change seats again?"

"Got tired of my ear being inches from your head while you argued with Morrow," Miles tipped his hat up. "Did he really re-feature one of your old stories?"

"Yup. Felt a little unloved. Especially since they used some of your newer photos."

"Don't let that bug you," Miles shrugged, sitting up and actively joining the conversation, "It makes your story look fresh."

"You trying to tell me that you make me look good?" Rory teased.

"That's the whole point of my job," Miles replied seriously. "People like media. But it's basically a big arrow to the actual story."

"I disagree. Your photos have their own stories to tell. I've seen your work."

"Rory, most of the stuff you love gets dropped. It's a news website. The stuff you're talking about is... useless for that."

"Maybe," she shrugged. "But if that's the case, why did you take this job in the first place?"

It was something that had often stumped Rory as she'd gotten to know Miles. He was incredibly talented, his best photos were stories in and of themselves; he had several series of photos from his travels that spoke for themselves without the need for narration. He was an artist.

"Wow, we go from not talking for weeks, to you asking about my life choices," Miles smirked, his tone light.

"Not my idea. I'm not the one who pulls the hat over my face and blocks everyone out. In fact, I deliberately dropped a fry on you yesterday to try and annoy you out of your funk."

"I know, I ate it."

"Well, glad I could contribute to your food intake. Answer the question. Why'd you take this job?"

Miles sighed and stared out the window at the afternoon sun for a few minutes before replying. Just when Rory was about to prod him again, he spoke.

"I was burned out. I'm still kinda burned out. This stuff... I don't really have to think much. The story's your job, I just make sure my camera's in focus and Barack looks good. Not that it's always that easy, but it's easier than traveling on some beast of burden for a week, hoping my laptop doesn't get too much sand in it. Or dropped, or rained on. Or hoping I'm not smiling or frowning too much for some customs officer who thinks my lenses may reveal something negative in his country."

"Did something happen?"

"No. I mean, stuff has happened, you know, you've heard a few stories, but... there wasn't really one thing that pushed me. Well... actually..." he chuckled. "I started noticing I was using a lot of sepia tones. I hate sepia. I like using black and white to give a certain mood when it calls for it, but mostly I like color photography. It tells a more authentic story."

Rory listened intently. She'd missed this. He may prefer to let his photography speak for him, but he was still a great storyteller when he let himself speak freely.

"So I let you tell the story, instead. Gives me a break. And then when I have a moment, I can find a different story to tell on my own that I don't have to worry about being a feature photograph," Miles added.

"Like the little girl who was enamored with Obama in Shreveport."

"Exactly. It works out. And I get to still be a part of history, which is pretty cool. The company hasn't sucked either... for the most part."

"For the most part," Rory snorted. "You done being pissed at me then?"

"Maybe. I guess I can put up with you for a bit longer. I get a break soon anyway, right? Once we hit the tri-state area?"

"Yep. Our buddy Chen's covering Pittsburgh, Boston, and Vermont while I give my mom away."

"You're really giving her away?" Miles raised his eyebrows, an amused grin replacing his previously pensive expression.

"God, no. No one gives Lorelai Gilmore away. But Luke did ask for my permission, so signing the marriage certificate is almost the same thing as far as I'm concerned. Hey, did I tell you about the gigantic SUV they bought? A Dodge Durango. My stepsister's already claimed the third row."

"Wow. What's next, a new house?"

Rory felt the slightest twinge deep in her chest. Though she'd made major efforts to start letting go of her childhood home the last time she was in Stars Hollow, there would always be a part of her that would be attached to it.

"Very likely. I just hope my mom's preparing herself for that. There's no way they'll still be there by this time next year."

* * *

"Ugh, this place does not exist." Lorelai growled as she navigated the jeep down a residential street in Beacon Falls. She either wrote down the address wrong, or her mother had the address wrong in her email. She pulled over and reached for her cell phone to call Luke, whose navigational skills were second to none. She read off the address to him.

"No, that should be Beacon Falls."

"It can't be, because the street sign after Unity has a Stars Hollow street sign, and the address she gave me for the florist is in Beacon Falls. Plus, this is clearly a residential neighborhood, not at all where a flower shop would be."

"Yeah, the map has it in Beacon Falls, Lorelai, I'm not sure where she was trying to send you, but if you're seeing Stars Hollow houses and you're looking for a Beacon Falls florist, something's wrong somewhere," Luke scratched his head as he ran his finger over the map one last time.

"Right," she sighed. "Time to call my mother. Good thing I left early. Thanks, hon."

Lorelai hung up with Luke and dialed her mother's cell phone only to hear it ring several times before it switched to voicemail.

"Mom, it's Lorelai. You didn't give me the number of the florist, but the address is definitely wrong. I'm driving around Beacon Falls, but the address you gave me seems to lead to a bunch of houses in Stars Hollow? I'm going to drive around a little more, but call me back. I'll try the house phone in a bit."

Lorelai ended the call and drove a little further. Perhaps something changed with boundary lines more recently than Emily had realized. Still, it seemed strange considering this was the florist Emily had recently used for a DAR luncheon mere weeks ago.

"10306 Center Street. A florist you are not," Lorelai grumbled at the mailbox in front of her and gazed past it at the beautiful grey house. She took in the details and her jaw dropped as a flood of memories hit her all at once.

 _Five bedrooms, four and a half baths. Library, sun porch. Three acres. A little pond. Stables for horses._

It had been one of the worst days of her life, that day in the Beacon Falls realtor's office with her mother. Yet there it was, right before her eyes, the very house Emily and Richard Gilmore had intended to purchase for their daughter and her fiancé. Her parents had finally accepted the most important relationship she'd ever had, and it was past the point of saving.

Lorelai felt her heart thudding rapidly in her chest as she threw the jeep into park. There was a van in the driveway advertising "Cam's Cleaning Crew". As she glanced around, she noticed the grass looked a little unmaintained, but not overgrown, as if someone had only recently begun forgetting to mow the lawn.

The front door of the house opened, and a woman exited with a cart of cleaning supplies, leaving the door open as she did so. Lorelai leaned forward to get a better look and noticed the house appeared empty.

"Excuse me!" Lorelai called as she jumped out of the jeep. "I am so sorry to bother you. Do you know who owns this house?"

"No, I don't, I'm sorry," the woman replied back. "Are you looking for someone?"

"Um, no." She got a better look inside as she approached the woman. "I was just driving by and... I... I have a bit of history with this place. Um, is it for sale, or being sold, do you know?"

"I'm not sure. I know the owners were renting it out and the tenants recently left. We were hired to keep it maintained, my guess is until they find new tenants or sell. I don't really know much more than that, I'm sorry. Did you live here? It's a lovely place."

"No... I almost did, though," Lorelai smiled sadly. "It is lovely. I'll let you get back to work. Thank you for your time."

"Sure, have a nice day," the woman smiled and walked back inside the house.

Lorelai sat back in the jeep and noticed a few missed calls. She dialed the Gilmore house and waited while the maid du jour sought out her mother.

"Lorelai? What on earth are you doing driving around Beacon Falls? The florist is in Waterbury."

Lorelai couldn't help rolling her eyes, "Uh, not the address you sent me. You gave me a Beacon Falls address that's actually a Stars Hollow address."

"No, I didn't. I copied it right out of the..." Emily stared at the computer in front of her, looking at her sent messages. She had, indeed, copied and pasted directly from her computer's address book, only she'd selected the wrong address entirely. Rental Property and Renee's Florals were absolutely not the same address.

"Mom? Are you there?"

Emily glanced at the phone, considering hanging up and claiming the phone had broken. That wouldn't do, Lorelai still needed to get to the florist.

"Uh, yes, Lorelai, I'm not sure what happened. I think something must have combined some old addresses somewhere on my computer."

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," Lorelai replied, still reeling from shock as she stared at the property. "Um, actually, it's kind of funny. You sent me to the house you and Dad wanted to buy for Luke and I."

"Well, that's absurd," Emily ranted, feeling herself beginning to panic, "I'll need to have your father call the man who does IT at his office and see what happened to this infernal thing. This is why I don't use computers, you know, you trust it to work, and expect a problem-free experience. If I'd simply called and read you the address from my address book, there would have been no room for error. Remind me of this when-"

"Mom, I get that something went wrong over there, but I'm going to be late. Can you give me the phone number of the place and we can talk about this later? I can get the address and directions from them, and let them know I'm running late due to a bit of an address mishap."

"Oh, of course." Emily replied, noticing the lack of phone number on her computer. Flustered, she shakily reached for her physical address book, "Is it still nice?"

"Um, it looks a little unmaintained, but I'm not one to judge, you know my lawn was a mess until Luke moved in. But otherwise, it's still beautiful."

Emily's jaw tightened. She'd told Richard the gardening service seemed untrustworthy. She'd have him call later. Of course, first she'd have to admit to her husband exactly why she knew the grass was overgrown. She read Lorelai the phone number and the correct address, apologized again for the mixup, and buried her face in her hands after hanging up.

Lorelai sighed as she pulled up in front of Renee's Florals in Waterbury. She couldn't get past the feeling she'd had seeing the house in person. There was something terribly strange about the entire experience. Recalling her wedding was only two weeks away and she still didn't have one flower for it, Lorelai forced herself to focus on the woman in front of her, and the beautiful floral arrangements she'd readied for their meeting.

* * *

"See, this is why I don't use computers," Luke pointed at Lorelai after she told him the whole story later that evening.

"I wouldn't blame the computer. Wait till next week, she'll accidentally invite Shira Huntzberger over for lunch when she meant to invite Sissy Hurdygurdy or something," Lorelai replied with a smirk. "Anyway, flowers. I like everything she did here, especially keeping the eggplant, white, and fall colors theme. And the price was half of what that place in Hartford wanted to charge us. What do you think?"

Luke shrugged, "The boutonnieres are nice."

"We already had those picked out, this is just the example of what my mother suggested weeks ago."

"Oh. Well, I still like those, then. Lorelai, you know flowers aren't really my thing."

"Except for the flowery curtains in your old apartment," she muttered. "Fine. Then you're okay with the price, at least?"

"Yeah. Seems reasonable to me," Luke nodded, looking back at the sample bouquet of lilies in the middle of the coffee table. "It is pretty."

"Yay! A reaction!" Lorelai grinned, dropping a kiss on the top of his head as she stood. "I think so, too. April sent me one text with over a hundred exclamation points, and Rory said she didn't care, so I'll take that as the girls' approving of the choices as well. I'm gonna go call and finalize the order, then!" she squealed excitedly and grabbed the house phone and price sheet.

Order placed, she dropped onto the couch next to Luke with a few papers in her hand. "Um, speaking of flowers, I ordered a really nice arrangement for Anna's mom's funeral this morning. I said it was from you, but I just looked at the receipt and they put both our names on it. I hope that's okay. I was going to talk to you about it first, but-"

"Thank you, I didn't even think of that," Luke smiled gratefully. "And it's good they put both our names on it."

"Okay, good," Lorelai smiled back, dropping the receipt she'd printed out on the coffee table. She looked at the other piece of paper below it, the note where she'd jotted down the Beacon Falls address.

Luke nodded at the paper, "That had to be weird, huh?"

"Yeah. Really weird," she glanced up and saw the sad look on his face. "Luke, don't. I'd rather have what we have now than... whatever we might have had then. Who knows, we might be divorced by now and in some horrible legal battle over the house."

"Taylor would probably have a town meeting to decide. Pink ribbons would win again."

"Maybe. Though if it were still Beacon Falls, he..." Lorelai stopped, staring at the address. "Luke, how old is that map you were looking at?"

"Uh, it was one of the ones the county released after Taylor lost that ruling to use the old historic Stars Hollow street names, and they reprinted them with the old names to switch everything back. So, I guess, just over two years ago?"

"So it would've been a recent change... that block of Center Street past Unity being part of Stars Hollow instead of Beacon Falls."

"I guess," Luke shrugged. "They change stuff like that all the time, though. That town home Nicole rented that I never really moved into used to be in Thomaston. They still had the old address on the stationary in the leasing office."

"Yeah... still weird. Normally Taylor would mention something like that in a town meeting," Lorelai mused, and as she spoke, she remembered something her mother had said in the leasing office...

 _"I heard that if you grease the palm of the Stars Hollow zoning commissioner, a man named Taylor Doose, you can get him to change property lines."_

"What?" Luke cocked his head.

"What are the chances... I mean... they wouldn't have..." Lorelai's eyes widened.

"Who wouldn't have what?"

"My parents. That house. My mom told me they'd investigated having the address changed to Stars Hollow from Beacon Falls when she showed me the pictures of it at the realtor's office that day. Even after my breakdown she still thought you and I would work things out."

"You don't actually think they bought it. They wouldn't have even closed on it until after we'd already broken up. They would've given it to you and Chris as a wedding present."

"My mom is really weird about gifts being for their intended recipients, though. She still won't tell me what it was she bought Max and I when I was engaged to him," Lorelai rested her elbows on her knees and dropped her chin in her hands as she continued sorting through her thoughts.

"What did she get for you and Chris?"

"Wolf girl. This hideous piece of art, if you can call it that. I was never more pleased to return a gift to my mother, and that's saying something."

Luke scratched his head. "She was buying us a house, and she bought you and Chris... artwork?"

"She'll never admit it, but I don't think anyone believed Chris and I were ever permanent. Except me, maybe... when I needed to stop thinking about you," she dropped her face into her hands with a groan. "This is weird, Luke. This is too coincidental. Why did my mom still have that address, and why is that block now part of Stars Hollow, when in my twenty years of living in this town, Emily Gilmore is the only person I know of who has ever had any interest in that area of Beacon Falls?"

* * *

"Brunch? Sunday Brunch with whom?" Richard frowned, glancing up from his book. "Isn't it a little last minute?"

"If you were to hazard a guess... who would be the obvious choice to invite us to a last minute brunch?" Emily asked.

"Robert and Karen Seaton," he replied with an eye roll.

"Oh, very true," Emily nodded as she sat in her chair. "In this case, however, it's none other than our very own Lorelai Gilmore."

"Lorelai invited us to brunch?"

"She had that tone, too. I think she knows, Richard," she sighed with a grimace.

Emily had spent the day stressing out over the mistake she'd made with the addresses. She wasn't at all relieved when Lorelai had bought her story about mixing up old addresses. She knew her daughter, and knew she wasn't going to stop thinking about it. Thus, when Lorelai called with a very suspicious, very "I know something you don't know" tone to invite her parents to a last minute brunch at the Dragonfly, Emily knew Lorelai had either figured it out or at the very least suspected.

"Well, then, if she's figured it out that certainly absolves us of coming up with a way to present it to them."

"No, now it's worse. Lorelai's going to play her game to make it seem like she found us out."

"She did find us out," Richard laughed.

"Yes, well, I don't want her to realize that," Emily scowled as she headed toward the coat closet.

"Emily, where are you going?"

"I don't have any nice boxes to wrap the keys in. I used the last of the nice gift wrap on the care package we sent ahead to the girls' friend Mia for Rory's birthday. The rest of it is Christmas themed."

"You're going to wrap the keys?"

"The keys and the photos. Luke hasn't seen it yet," Emily grabbed her purse. "Richard, I'm not letting her get the upper hand on this. If this is going to finally happen, we need to do it in a way that they're not going to immediately turn it down. The house is finally living up to what it was meant for, and I want this for Lorelai."

"If she's figured it out, don't you think they've already discussed it?"

"Yes, which means we have even more work to do and more to discuss, ourselves. Now, are you coming or not?"


	26. Redefining Regret

**Chapter 26: Redefining Regret**

"What is that?" Miles asked as Rory sat back down in her seat on the bus, a bit winded after her run from the post office.

"One of my birthday presents," Rory grinned excitedly, opening the massive brown box she'd returned with.

"Only you would be able to convince the bus driver to detour to a post office off the highway on our way to Charleston."

"Uh, actually, I have no idea what I bribed him with. I just had instructions from my mom on what to say, and to let him know there was something in it for him. So she's the one you can blame for the detour and the bribe."

Rory reached for the tin that had "FOR JIM" taped to the top and walked to the front of the bus.

"It better be good, Gilmore," Jim, their bus driver, said as he took it and opened the lid. Inside the tin was a massive variety of baked goods wrapped in dragonfly printed tissue paper.

"Ohhh, it's better than good, Jim. Those are a variety of desserts from the famous, talented Sookie Belleville, chef and part owner of the Dragonfly Inn in Stars Hollow, Connecticut," Rory waited as he took a bite of the small pecan tart. The smile on his face told her everything and she patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks again for stopping."

"Rory, I will stop anywhere if you bring me another one of these tins at the end of this month!" Jim called from the front as he started the bus.

"I'll see what I can do for ya!" she called back with a grin. "Hey, get out of my stuff," Rory pushed Miles away from the cardboard box.

"My birthday's in April," Miles leaned in.

"That's nice," Rory replied, laughing as she unwrapped a variety of random things: a package of gum with a note - "To share with the senator if you have a spare pocket. Or I can ship the fanny pack." - Chapstick, batteries, a small assortment of baked goods from Sookie, a huge bag of candy, a container of Luke's coffee, a Chilton t-shirt, a new Yale hoodie, and the last item in the box, a Luke's Diner shirt, with a note stuck to it:

 _"It's the only one in existence, Luke doesn't know. Bwahaha!"_

She pulled the sweatshirt on and began emptying the box to collapse it and stuff it under her seat. As she placed the items in her backpack to move to rearrange in her luggage later, she reveled in the sentiment behind the items. Little bits of home. Her moment was interrupted, as always, but the man seated across the aisle from her.

"You're gonna be fifty years old and your mom's still gonna be sending you stuff for your birthday," Miles sighed. "I'm jealous. My mom sent me a box full of cup noodles and granola bars last year."

"Did you eat it?"

"Yeah."

"Then it was free food, stop complaining. There was a time my mom would've only been able to send ramen and I still would've been excited about it." She tossed him a candy bar, "Here, early birthday present."

"Yeah, sure, Yale girl over here had ramen," he muttered, nodding to her hoodie as he unwrapped his candy bar.

Rory frowned, "What part of 'I lived in a one room gardening shed and shared a bed with my mom until I was ten' screams anything other than ramen? I had my fair share of ramen. The crappy kind, too. And my grandparents and barely-there father paid for Yale, you know that. I start paying them back in five years. Most of my paycheck goes straight into savings to prepare for that very thing."

Miles winced. "Sorry. I... forgot."

"Well, don't. My first house is just as much a part of me as my alma mater, and I'm proud of both," Rory lectured, pointing her finger at him. "Now, be quiet and eat your candy bar or I'm taking it back."

* * *

"What if you're wrong?" Luke asked, buttoning his shirt and making eye contact with Lorelai in the mirror as she tamed her hair in front of him.

"I'm not. It's weird and it makes zero sense, and I'm dying to hear an explanation, but there's no way that address changes to a Stars Hollow zip code for any other reason. And what was my mother doing with it in her address book?" She slowly ran the straightener down a stubborn strand of curls one more time.

"Computers suck, her explanation sounds reasonable to me," Luke shrugged.

She unplugged the straightener, and turned to face him. "Not even you have managed to screw your computer up like that. I tried to do what she said her computer did, and it's not possible, by the way. She had that address saved for a reason."

"I'm just saying, this is gonna be really uncomfortable if you're wrong."

"And if I'm wrong, I deserve to feel really uncomfortable. But I promise you, I'm not," she kissed him quickly on the cheek before walking back into the bedroom to slip her heels on. "You took the dog out?"

"While you were in the shower," Luke replied. "Ready?"

"Are you?"

"No. I still feel like I need to bring bank statements with me to prove that I don't _need_ a house purchased for me," he grumbled, dropping his hands to his hips.

"Did moving in here make you feel inadequate?" Lorelai looked at him expectantly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No," Luke considered her statement for a moment. "But I also spent years putting blood and sweat into this place to help keep it together. And paying for the majority of the renovations made me feel more financially invested in it, especially considering it increased the value of the house."

"If we take that house, you'll put twice as many years of blood, sweat, _and_ tears into it. I'm sure you'll find some project to work on. We'll need to paint the inside. I have no idea what shape the stables are in. You can build our future kid a playground. There's more that gets invested than just money. Would you rather they pay for a wedding? Because that was the alternative, and I swear I heard rumblings about a Russian winter theme a few years ago."

"I like our wedding plans."

"Me too. And you know me, Luke, you saw me freak out over leaving this house, not once but _twice_. You've seen me deal with my parents... there is absolutely no way I would consider this if it wasn't... worth considering."

Luke sighed, rubbing his hand over his face and through his hair, "None of this makes any god damn sense. Not why your parents would buy the house, why they'd go through with buying the house, and why you'd be okay with any of it."

"Well, we're Gilmores, babe. Get used to it. Let's go."

* * *

"Emeeeleeee!" Michel squealed with delight as Emily and Richard entered the lobby of the Dragonfly Inn. "I did not know you were coming by today. Hello, Mr. Gilmore, you look very well."

"Hello, Michel. We're meeting Luke and Lorelai for brunch," Emily smiled.

"Oh, yes. She and Luke are at the table. One moment, I will get Gary to-"

Emily held her hand up, not wanting Michel to announce their arrival, "Not necessary, we can seat ourselves."

Richard and Emily walked through sitting room and into the dining room. She spotted Lorelai at the table and paused for a moment, observing the couple. Lorelai was gesturing animatedly as she spoke while Luke tried so very hard and failed so very badly at feigning disinterest, enamored as ever with the excitable woman next to him. Emily smiled as she slid her arm through Richard's and let him lead her over to the table.

"Good morning, Luke, Lorelai," Richard greeted them as he pulled a chair out for his wife.

"Good morning," Lorelai smiled. "Welcome back to my fabulous inn. You both have the privilege of experiencing the premiere of Sookie's fall Sunday brunch menu version two."

"What happened to version one?" Emily asked.

"Heck if I know. Sookie was indecisive enough finalizing the first version. It's still available upon request if you want to see it, but this was what she finally determined was the _official_ brunch menu as of today."

"The official version is perfectly fine," Richard chuckled, reaching for the menu.

"Avoid anything heavy, Richard, you know-" Emily started, earning a glare from her husband.

"Dad, there's a lighter section on there _if_ you're interested," Lorelai eyed her mother briefly before smiling understandingly at her father. "I've even ordered from it before, and I usually make it a rule to avoid anything with 'light' in the title. It's as good as everything else."

"Thank you, Lorelai," Richard nodded, focusing on the indicated section of the menu.

Emily nodded her approval and set her menu down, "Lorelai, speaking of Sookie, I hear you specifically asked not to have a wedding shower."

"Speaking of Sookie?"

"I called her, inquiring about a wedding shower, and she spent the next twenty minutes giving me a play by play of the argument you two had about it."

"So, then you don't need any further explanation," Lorelai sighed, explaining anyway, "We don't need _anything_. As it is, we didn't even move all of Luke's stuff into the kitchen, and that was after we threw out some of my older stuff to replace with his better stuff. There's really nothing more we need or want. The whole point of wedding showers and engagement parties is to get stuff, and I don't want a bunch of stuff we don't need."

Luke set his hand down on Lorelai's, "We'd rather just have everyone support us by showing up at the wedding."

"That's very nice, but your guests do like to feel as though they've contributed something to your future."

Lorelai smiled and said softly, "They have, Mom. We really don't need a shower or engagement party or anything. I've done that already. It's a big deal that we finally are getting to the wedding, and I just want everyone there for that."

Emily nodded, pleased the conversation was going so easily in the direction she intended. "Well, then, since you're so adamant about it, I suppose anyone who has bought you gifts will just give it to you at some point between now and the wedding."

"I've already returned a his and hers set of aprons and a huge, ostentatious, overly embellished picture frame. There will probably be more."

"I see," Emily replied, and watched Richard reach for his water glass to cover the grin he wasn't able to keep at bay. "Well, then, in that case, your father and I would like to give you your gift this morning."

* * *

"Rory!" Eric shouted over the rapidly growing crowd as they exited the auditorium. "Birthday drinks tomorrow?"

"I have plans!" Rory shouted back. She glanced around and pointed to a massive planter several feet away. "Meet me over there!"

A few minutes later, Eric found Rory standing near the designated spot. "What plans? How do you have plans in North Carolina?"

"My... uh... a close friend of the family lives there. She's going to the speech and then taking me out to dinner. I'm crashing with her instead of the hotel, and I'll be back at the bus in the morning."

"Oh, fine. So then birthday drinks tonight, post-deadline?"

"I suppose I can allow my friends to celebrate my birthday with me a little early," Rory grinned. "Text me after nine, tell me where to go, and I'll be there."

"Running off already?"

"Interesting group of people today, I have interviews to conduct," Rory gestured toward Miles bouncing eagerly nearby. "And I want a picture of the family that Obama talked to at the Q & A. I'll catch up with you guys tonight, though, deal?"

"Deal," Eric nodded. "I'll alert the media. Ha. Get it?"

"Funny, funny. Later!" Rory smiled and walked over to Miles. "C'mon, let's go."

"What was that about?" Miles asked as they walked toward a large group of people several hundred feet away.

"Birthday drinks. You have to come."

"Eh, pass. Not really my thing. I'll buy you a birthday coffee in the morning, how's that?"

Rory frowned and grabbed his arm, stopping them. "Miles, I joined this tour because it was a good career move. I didn't expect to make friends. It turns out, I have. And that's great. And tomorrow is my birthday. And do you know what you do on birthdays?"

"Celebrate them with friends?" Miles guessed.

"Yes, exactly. You celebrate birthdays with your friends. And all my friends and family back home have seen pictures of me with my friends. Except for you. They think I made you up. Or they think I pretend we're friends, but we're really not, because unlike all my other friends, you never hang out with me unless we're on the bus."

Miles wrinkled his nose, "That sounds bad."

"It is bad. I don't want to be Elwood P. Dowd."

"Elwood..."

"Harvey. The movie. Jimmy Stewart?"

"Your friends think I'm an invisible rabbit."

Rory nodded seriously, "It's very sad."

Miles sighed, and gestured toward the group they were heading toward, reminding her of their journalistic duties. "Then bring your camera, Gilmore, I'll make an appearance with the rest of your friends for birthday booze. Just don't expect me to help with hangover coffee."

"Have I ever asked you for hangover coffee?"

"No, but I had offered birthday coffee before. That's off the table if I have to put up with Kyla all night."

Rory snickered, "How do you know Kyla?"

"I've been avoiding her since Seattle. She's... uh..."

"Don't talk smack about my friend." Rory replied, acting offended. She glanced away from Miles to hide the massive grin on her face.

"I'm not! She just... comes off as very, uh, pushy. She makes me uncomfortable. So if I have to deal with her, that's your birthday present. No coffee, muffin, danish, etcetera."

"I'll get my own coffee, muffin. Uh, let's run, they seem to be leaving and we need this photo op or the story's useless," Rory grimaced as she readjusted her bag and the two took off running.

* * *

Lorelai's jaw dropped, and she looked over at Luke wide-eyed as she slowly shook her head in disbelief. This brunch had been her idea. She'd had the upper hand. It was her chance to catch Emily off guard and get the details about the massive secret her parents had been keeping for over a year.

Frantically seeking the proper response, Lorelai fought back her surprise and turned to face her mother with a smile, "You can keep Wolf Girl, Mom, it's okay."

"Christopher liked it," Emily eyed Lorelai, biting back a laugh at Lorelai's offended reaction.

"Christopher did _not_ like it. I did not like it. Luke would not like it. No one liked Wolf Girl."

"The artist liked her. As did our collector. He was thrilled to have it back. Ended up re-selling it at a higher price he'd sold it to us for."

"Well, good for him," Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"Better for you, she _was_ hideous," Emily smirked, teasing, before changing the tone of the conversation. "But what else do you get your daughter for the wedding you've waited over twenty years for when you can tell she's not exactly invested in the relationship?"

Lorelai locked eyes with her mother, finding herself, yet again, at a loss for words. This was quickly becoming a recurring pattern, and she found it somewhat disconcerting.

"Lorelai, I warned you about your marriage to Christopher because I knew your heart wasn't in it. But I knew you wanted so badly to be married, I wanted it to work for you, and for entirely selfish reasons, I thought the match was a good one. I felt that if you at least worked hard at it, I hoped that eventually your heart might follow along eventually."

Lorelai slowly shook her head, "No... it wasn't enough."

"No, it wasn't. And you confirmed that when the two of you broke up and you were sad, but not devastated. I'd already seen what your heart looked like when it was shattered in a million pieces. Twice. Once when you screamed at me in a diner, and another time, when you broke down on my shoulder in public."

Emily winced internally as she saw Luke grimace, closing his eyes against the wave of guilt Emily knew from experience he'd carry for the rest of his life. It's what happened when you blocked out the person you were supposed to be with and came very close to losing them.

"Mistakes were made and you'll regret them forever. You've gotten past them, but neither of you will forget, and you'll always have them to remind you," Emily said softly, regarding both her daughter and future son-in-law. She looked over at her husband, whose look told her he understood that her words weren't just about the couple in front of them, but the two of them as well. Richard's gaze held a mix of fondness and his own regret for the time they had lost during their own separation.

Emily's tone changed as she smiled, "Not everything from around the time you two broke up was bad. Luke, I assume Lorelai told you we had planned for a much more impressive, well thought out wedding gift than a dreadful painting."

Luke nodded and, as Emily was about to continue, Lorelai cut in.

"You bought the house."

"We did," Emily replied.

"You're both aware that property values in Stars Hollow and that general vicinity have been on the rise for the last two years," Richard took over. "We chose to go through with the sale for a few reasons. Emily was convinced, and so was I, that the two of you still could manage to work through your problems. But, realistically, we had to consider what would happen if you didn't. The price for the house was extremely competitive, and we knew it was a good investment, so it was worthwhile to proceed with the purchase."

"Okay, that makes sense and answers all but one question. How did you get the zip code changed without involving the town?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh, easily. Half the people who work for New Haven County are Yale alums," Richard laughed. "The current zoning commissioner was a fellow Whiffenpoof. Excellent tenor in his day."

Lorelai couldn't help the laugh that escaped, "And... that was all there was to that."

"Well, there was a fee, of course, but significantly discounted. The Stars Hollow representatives approved the change immediately. Hardly surprising given the value of the area."

"Did you catch their names?" Luke asked, curiously.

"Uh, no, unfortunately. It was run by some group of town representatives and signed off on by Mr. Doose."

"The town elders," Luke deduced.

"Yes, I believe that sounds correct," Richard nodded. "You're familiar with them?"

Luke huffed, "When I was trying to buy the... there's this old, beautiful house in the town square I was going to buy for Lorelai and I. Uh, someone put a competing bid in on it and, it was a weird situation, but I had to argue my case to the town elders."

"It didn't work out in your favor?" Emily asked.

"Oh, uh, no it did," Luke grinned. "Someone didn't want to leave her house."

"The Twickham property," Emily guessed, having grown familiar with much of the Stars Hollow real estate the previous year, and Luke nodded. "That place _is_ beautiful."

"And very big," Lorelai noted, smirking slightly when Emily looked impressed that Luke had nearly managed to buy the place.

"Luke, I know you do very well for yourself, you've made very wise investments, and you and Lorelai could easily afford to purchase your own house," Richard steered the conversation back on topic. "You also have a daughter, and I know you fought to do everything you could to provide for her in any capacity possible."

"I did," Luke confirmed quietly.

"You can understand, then, why Emily and I would want to give this house to you and Lorelai. As a man, I can understand that it would be a bit of an affront to one's ability to provide for one's family. But in the same way that you spent twelve years unable to provide for your daughter, this is the first time in twenty I can provide for mine."

"Dad," Lorelai chided. "You've done-"

"What we've done for Rory was for Rory, Lorelai."

"There are no strings attached to this," Emily added, again addressing both Luke and Lorelai. "I want that clear. Our Friday night dinners in return for helping pay for Chilton, and later Yale, were the only way I could get my family back under my roof. Having you there without obligation now is a far greater gift, and I'd like to continue that."

Emily reached into her purse, pulled out a manila envelope, and handed it to Luke. "I wanted to wrap it, and we went shopping last night looking for something appropriate, but... as we talked, we determined that discussing the matter might be more impactive than a wrapped package. We want you to understand where we're coming from with this. It's not an insult. It's not to be used as leverage. It's a gift."

Luke nodded and opened the envelope. He slowly pulled out the glossy photographs, raising his eyebrows as he took in the property he'd heard so much about. It was gorgeous, and as Lorelai had described, it reminded him of something she'd choose on her own. He flipped through the photos, his breath catching as he took in the updated kitchen. He heard a giggle next to him as Lorelai noticed his reaction to the room he'd use more than anyone. The final leaf of paper was the floor plan, and he felt Lorelai's chin rest on his shoulder as she looked it over as well.

"Five bedrooms," she said quietly, "April would have her own, Rory could have one that could also serve as a guest bedroom. The master and two others."

He looked over and they both knew the kids he'd described from his dream were on their minds.

"We'd need them for the plants," he smirked, breaking the gravity of the moment.

"Plants?" Emily asked, confused. "There's plenty of room on the lot for a garden, if that's-"

"No, Mom, it's... an old..." Lorelai waved her hand dismissively. "Too hard to explain."

"All right. Well, what are you thinking? Other than plants?"

"I'd really like to see it in person before I make any final decisions," Luke replied. "If that's okay."

"Of course," Richard and Emily replied in stereo.

"The keys are in the envelope. You can go whenever you wish," Emily added.

"Ah, I invited you to brunch, and I don't know about anyone else, but I'm starving," Lorelai announced, sitting up. "Let's order, enjoy our meal, and then the four of us can go over there and look around."

* * *

"Hello?"

"Cafe or business center?" Miles asked Rory.

"Uh," Rory balanced the phone between her head and shoulder and finished writing the sentence she was in the middle of before putting her pen down. "What do you need?"

"Photo advice. And lunch. Maybe something sweet. Donuts? Ice cream?"

"I can meet you for photo advice, but food's a no," Rory replied. "I have to get a head start on another general, non-location-specific article so I can enjoy my birthday libations tonight and dinner tomorrow without stressing about it."

"Don't you require nourishment?" Rory could hear the pout in Miles' voice.

"That's what takeout is for. I stopped and got a sandwich on my way back to the hotel."

"See, you still need dessert."

"I'll put some extra sugar in my coffee," Rory sighed. She was beginning to regret reopening the lines of communication with Miles.

"Okay, how's the cafe sound? I can get something for lunch, and we can split something sweet all while we compare your current draft to the photos I have and see what works. Deal?"

Rory grimaced at the incomplete second draft she was working on. She'd thrown out most of her original idea, and had only just begun rewriting it. A photo discussion with Miles could last hours, which she didn't have.

"You have forty-five minutes starting now. I assume you mean the place at the end of the block. 'Bean' or whatever?"

"Yep. No time to chat, you're cutting into my forty-five minutes. Bye." Miles hung up and Rory groaned as she stood up from her desk and began packing her notebook and laptop into her bag.

A few minutes later, she walked into the cafe to find Miles seated at a table with a bagel, a danish, what appeared to be a small tart, and two steaming cups of coffee. His laptop was already open and facing the chair intended for her.

"Geez, you're fast," she muttered as she took her seat.

"I was already working in the hotel lobby," Miles admitted with a grin.

"Loving that fine muzak they play?"

"Headphones. Chair was comfy," he shrugged.

Rory nodded and took a sip of coffee as she handed him the pathetic state of her second draft and a few pages of notes, "Uh, take from that what you will, it's still a mess." She began scrolling through the open album on his computer, "Ohhh, these photos are great. Can't we just use them all?"

"Yeah, you can fight that battle. The new photo and media editors I have to deal with now are a pain in the ass. They do like to use more photos per article, though. That, I have to admit, I'm kinda digging, but we're not to the point of fifty shots per article just yet."

Forty-five minutes came and went as they selected a handful of photos for Miles to submit, spoke about where Rory's article was headed, and moved onto discussing the event from that morning. Rory's eyes widened when she finally checked the time on her phone.

"I need to get back to work. You owe me half that tart for keeping me for so long."

"Fair enough," Miles nodded, slicing the tart in half and handing it to Rory. "Hey, um. I kind of think I might owe you an apology for the way I acted in California."

"Kind of think you might, huh?" Rory looked at him expectantly.

"Yeah. I overreacted and I'm sorry. And, um… it's your life, you know? I don't want you to feel like what I said was some kind of... mandate."

Rory narrowed her eyes at him, "What… part… exactly?"

"Uh. All of it. But… I mean..." he picked at his half of the tart awkwardly. "He um… seemed like a nice guy."

Rory's jaw dropped a little, "He… when?"

"Flagstaff."

"Well, thanks for your approval. I'll make sure you get a wedding invitation," she snapped.

"Rory. I just meant-"

"Like you said, it's my life, Miles. He was a nice guy. A really, really nice guy, and a good person at that. Too good," she shoved her notebook into her bag. "I wasn't seeking your approval that night in California, and I don't need it now, either." She took a deep breath, "Look. Let's just add this onto a list of things we shouldn't talk about."

"Rory," he looked over at her, a pained expression on his face.

"I really have work to do, and I don't want to talk about this anymore. If you come for drinks tonight, leave this entire discussion behind."

"So you still want me to go."

Rory stared at the table for a minute before looking back up, "You're still my friend. Friends argue. And since you started it, you owe me a drink. If you can handle that, I still want you there."

Without waiting for him to reply, she rushed out the door, gritting her teeth as she tried not to think about Flagstaff, and how on earth Miles knew anything about it or had any kind of opinion about Brett at all.

* * *

"I can't believe there's a library," Luke shook his head as he glanced around at the built-in bookshelves. "I'm not sure April and Rory could even fill this. Add in your video collection, though, and we'd get close."

Lorelai guffawed, "Except I tossed most of that when you moved in. Had I only known…" she glanced out the window to where her parents were standing. "I still can't believe she beat me to the punch and then carried the entire conversation. How unfair was that?"

"I don't know… I think it worked out pretty well. Never really expected all of that to come from your mother, of all people, even as good as things have been lately."

"Yeah… you should have seen her that first Friday night dinner after Rory left. Not a fan of you and I getting back together to say the least," Lorelai watched her parents, "Sounds like she's gained a little perspective since then."

Luke nodded, "Seems that way. Upstairs?"

"Sure. What's your favorite room so far?"

"Uh, the kitchen, definitely. I should just throw a bunch of microwaves in the diner and cook everything here beforehand."

"Or just give the diner to Lane and Cesar and cook exclusively for me here," Lorelai joked, leading the way up the stairs. They both peeked around each of the bedrooms to get an initial look, then headed into the master suite.

"Kinda reminds me a bit of our room now, doesn't it?" Luke glanced around, grimacing at the mauve walls. "Except the color."

"Oooh, return of the paint swatches," she replied gleefully as Luke groaned. "Actually… how lame would it be to basically duplicate most of the colors and stuff that's in the house now? We spent so much time picking all of that out, but you and I never really got to enjoy it together, I mean, officially living together, until the last few months."

Luke raised his eyebrows, "Really. You'd prefer that to torturing me with paint swatches?"

Lorelai laughed, "I didn't _mean_ to torture you with them, I'm just really not good with so many options. More than that, though, I do like everything we did with the house. It's one of the many reasons it's hard to think about leaving."

Luke nodded and they went to inspect the other bedrooms more closely.

"I think it makes the most sense to let Rory and April pick between the two on the other side of the house," Lorelai mused as she watched Luke looking around the bedroom closest to the master suite. "Makes it easier to get to and keep track of smaller offspring if they're closer to our room. They. Or it."

He glanced down at the dimensions on the floor plan, "Yeah, those ones are a little smaller, too. Our part timers don't really need the bigger bedrooms, especially if their books are living in the library."

Lorelai noticed a strained expression on Luke's face and walked over to stand in front of him, "What are you thinking?"

"Just… that… uh... " he grimaced, "If for any reason you and I… can't… um. This is a lot of house for the two of us, especially April only being here part time and Rory less than that."

"So we give Paul Anka his own room."

"Lorelai," Luke frowned. "I'm serious."

She sighed, "I refuse to consider that possibility. We both have proven we can reproduce, I've been to the doctor recently. I don't see why we wouldn't be able to together."

"Can you consider it for one second, then? Just the two of us, in here, more often than not?"

Lorelai glanced around the room they'd designated as their child's moments ago. "Sewing room and office, then. I still like the size of the rest of it. There's more room for the two of us. And the dog. April will be here more often next year. Plenty of room for the holidays when both girls are here. Room for movies and more. Rory's books, April's books. I can get a horse. You can go fishing in your own backyard. Not that you have to, but the option's there. There's room in the garage and attic for all the stuff you have stashed in storage units. You can make another chuppah, but this time in your own garage…"

"Why would we need another chuppah?" Luke laughed.

"For April and Jamie, of course," Lorelai grinned.

"Oh, very funny," he grumbled, and started to walk back to the hallway.

"Luke, honestly, if you don't like it, they can just keep it as an investment property. I'm happy with what we've got," Lorelai said, tugging his arm.

"No. I can see us here," Luke took a deep breath. "It's just a really big change."

She nodded in agreement, trying to handle her own internal conflict. "I think we should give it a few days. Go home. See if it's too difficult to leave, and give them our final decision Friday night."

* * *

"... happy birthday, dear Rory! Happy birthday to you!" The group of ten sang, mostly off key, as Rory blew out the candle stuffed into a pile of cheese fries.

"Thank you! This is definitely the best twenty third birthday I have had so far," Rory grinned, loading a small plate with a pile of fries and walking over to one of the reporters she'd befriended earlier on. She glanced around, and noticed Miles and Kyla talking; her stance was flirtatious, but his smile was stiff. Miles caught Rory's gaze and dramatically rolled his eyes.

Rory slowly made her rounds, laughing and talking with the various friends she'd made over the last few months, and an hour later, most of them were sitting around a larger table, sharing some of the horror stories they'd experienced over the course of the press tour - from crappy hotel rooms to pushy editors to some of the crazy people they'd encountered.

"Is Miles gay?" Kyla whispered into Rory's ear as she took the seat next to her.

"No," Rory laughed. "Why?"

"I haven't had someone that disinterested in me since I had a crush on the star quarterback in high school," Kyla pouted.

"Too used to them falling at your feet, Ky," another reporter, Sara, smirked. "Seriously, I don't think I've seen anyone turn you down, don't feel bad."

"So not true. Eric was the first."

"Eric isn't stupid," Eric laughed, tossing a peanut shell at Kyla. "I know your kind."

"So does Rory's photographer, apparently," Kyla frowned, throwing the peanut shell back at Eric. "Besides, it would be weird now. Did you know Eric and I are related?"

"What!?" Rory grabbed the last cheese fry, "No way."

"Very distantly, but he saw photos from my cousin's wedding on my phone from last summer, and my cousin is his cousin, from different sides of the family," Kyla explained. "Hey, Rory, didn't you sleep with your cousin or something?"

Rory groaned, "No, I dated a guy in high school who, in a matter of weeks, will be my cousin. By _marriage_. And we never slept together. Remind me never to tell you anything again that you can confuse the facts on."

"Hey, if it's not in my notes, I can't be responsible for remembering the full story," Kyla shrugged.

Rory rolled her eyes and noticed Miles talking to one of the bartenders and gesturing to one of the TVs. "I'm gonna get another drink," she announced, standing and walking over to the bar.

"Having fun, birthday girl?" Miles asked.

"For the most part. You could stand to be more sociable. I wouldn't say you're celebrating with me, exactly. You don't like my friends?" Rory asked, pouting slightly.

"Eric's cool. I owe you a drink, though. Whatcha want? Stan can hook you up."

"Hey, Stan, one gin and tonic, please. On his tab," Rory replied, and Stan nodded, working on the requested beverage. Rory turned back to Miles. "Then come talk to me and Eric. Sara likes girls and Kyla's given up on you."

"I'm good. Stan and I are watching the end of the game."

"It's my birthday."

"And I'm buying you a drink. As promised," Miles motioned to Stan.

Rory frowned at him and turned to Stan as he slid her glass in front of her. "Hey, Stan? You mind getting a picture of me and your hermit friend here?"

"No prob," Stan shrugged.

"Hold up!" Sara called from behind Rory. "Miles, I know you don't participate in these shenanigans, but you don't get a picture with the birthday girl without a birthday hat." She pulled her pink, cone-shaped cardboard hat off her head and snapped it onto Miles.

Rory grinned, adjusting her birthday tiara, and handed her camera over to Stan, pleased Miles hadn't made any attempt to remove the goofy birthday hat. They took a few pictures and she patted him on the back when they finished.

"Way to be a team player," Rory giggled as she removed his hat. "Now come be sociable. I'll make sure Kyla doesn't keep putting the moves on you."

Begrudgingly, the usual loner joined the group at the table. Kyla, offended by his lack of interest, mostly ignored him while Eric, amused by her antics, went out of his way to include Miles in their discussions. After a few hours, most of the group had departed, leaving Miles, Sara, and Rory.

"Okay, correct me if I'm wrong," Sara asked Miles, "But didn't I see you in DC a year or two ago?"

"You might have," Miles replied, making no effort to elaborate.

"DC?" Rory asked. "Living there? Or just there for work?"

"Uh, kind of both." Miles toyed with one of the napkins on the table. "Started off living there, but ended up finding some work for a little while."

"Living there? Like you stayed there long enough to have a place of your own?" Rory pressed.

"Sorta. It was just... for a little while," he was growing visibly uncomfortable, and right as Rory decided to change the subject, Sara snapped her fingers.

"Ashley's fiancé, right?" Sara continued, without noticing the dark look on Miles' face, "You were taking photos for that guy... something Michaelson. We all worked together. Guessing things didn't work out between the two of you?"

"No," Miles replied, standing. "Hey, it's late and we've got an early bus call tomorrow and I haven't slept too well lately."

"Ugh, me either," Sara stood, "I'll pay the rest of the balance and see you guys tomorrow. Happy birthday, Rory," she smiled, heading to the bar with her purse and coat.

"I'm sorry," Rory grabbed Miles' shoulder as she rushed to catch up to him, "I convinced you to stay, wanted you to have fun, and... I totally ruined your night."

"I had fun, and it's not ruined," he shrugged. "Hey, it's past midnight, happy birthday."

"Thanks," Rory replied, crossing her arms in front of her as they walked back to the hotel. "Miles-"

"It's okay, honestly. It's in the past. I just don't like to talk about it, especially... uh... there's just lots of weird connections around here. Was kinda hoping Sara would get too drunk to remember me, but she switched to soda."

"Still hurts, huh?"

"No. Not really. It's just weird."

They waited quietly for the elevator and as they got in, Miles glanced over at Rory, noticing she still looked a little upset.

"Rory, don't feel bad, it's your birthday. Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Up until I saw you look like you were about to run for the door," Rory looked at him, concerned. "I promise if I ever run into this Ashley person, I'll kick her in the shins."

Miles laughed, "It's not likely. But I appreciate the sentiment." The elevator doors opened to his floor. "I'll see you in the morning."

Rory smiled as he turned down the hall and waited for the doors to close.

As she laid in bed, she thought of Miles. Now that she had a name to put with the girl who'd cheated on him, she was curious to know more. She was torn between asking Sara for more details or simply asking Miles for the whole story. It was a little too soon for the latter, they'd only just begun talking again. He said it didn't hurt anymore, and Rory mostly believed him, but the look reminded her of her own reaction whenever she wound up having to talk about Logan. It didn't really hurt anymore, but it still felt weird to think about. Exes sucked, no matter how you diced it.

Rory rolled over and reached for her phone, bumping up the volume in anticipation of a certain annual phone call.

* * *

"It's not there," Luke called loudly as he walked upstairs.

"Yes it is, it's in the coat closet downstairs... with all the rest of the coats," Lorelai shouted from her comfortable spot against her pillows. She set her book down as Luke walked into the bedroom and began looking through his closet. "Did you actively look or did you just stand back and gaze?"

"Lorelai, the closet's stuffed. I'd have to remove at least ten coats before I'd be able to actually get a good look at each individual item you've hung up in there. But I can promise you, my jacket's not in there. Why do you need so many coats, anyway?"

"Because I have so many outfits and not all coats go with all outfits. Duh," she rolled her eyes and walked downstairs. After yanking open the coat closet, she realized he wasn't kidding about the overpopulation of coats that had occurred since last winter. "Huh. Can't really downsize any... I like all of these."

"Why not move some upstairs? You still have room in your closet."

"I need room for new clothes."

Luke groaned and turned back toward the kitchen as Lorelai started pulling a few coats out to get a better look at the contents of the closet. She flipped through a few coats and jackets before finding the one Luke had been after. "HA! Told you it was in here. I would suggest keeping it upstairs if you want to find it more easily next time," she grinned.

"I need that room for new clothes," Luke mocked, imitating her earlier tone. "How did you even manage to get my jacket in there in the first place?"

"Determination," Lorelai said proudly, grabbing a coat she hadn't seen in a few years from the closet and tugging it on. She walked into the living room with Paul Anka's leash and turned to face the dog.

"What are you doing?" Luke asked, quickly walking over. "You know you can't-"

"I'm over it. It's time to learn. Paul Anka, this is your leash," she leaned over, dangling the leash in front of the dog as his tail quickly tucked between his legs. "Yeah, see it seems scary, but it's for your benefit. And you've been wearing one for over a year now. And it's time you realized that. I'm going to snap it on you, and we're going for a walk so Daddy can close up the diner, grab Mommy some coffee, and the two of us can make out in the gazebo for a little bit."

Luke was about to object to the paternity of her dog, but decided it probably wasn't worth arguing over - she'd win anyway. He sighed with his hands on his hips, waiting for her to finish her speech.

"Leash is going on," Lorelai walked behind Paul Anka, whispering calming words while petting him, and gently snapped on his leash. "Ah! You did it! Good boy! Okay, now we tackle the stairs."

"Uh, maybe we save that for another day. By the time we get there, Cesar will be home and in bed."

Lorelai frowned, but acquiesced, picking the dog up as they walked down the stairs.

"You know, the other house has two coat closets, both bigger than that one," Luke observed.

"Yeah, I was trying not to think about that," Lorelai admitted, taking a deep breath as they began walking down the street.

"We _should_ be thinking about that. Kind of a mental pro/con list."

They walked in silence for a few minutes before Lorelai spoke again, her voice sad.

"She turns twenty-three in a few hours. My little list maker, I mean."

"I knew who you meant," Luke replied, reaching for her hand as they walked. "Mia said she got her present, right?"

"Arrived a few days ago," Lorelai nodded. "I'm glad she's seeing her. I hate that I'm not. I don't know why I thought I'd have her around this birthday. I guess I was hoping she'd work locally for a few years before heading off to conquer the world, or at least stop at home for longer periods of time."

"Just doing what you raised her to do," he smiled proudly, and Lorelai smiled back at him.

"You know, nothing was as reaffirming that I succeeded as a parent than Rory graduating from Yale-"

"Of course."

"Hey, I wasn't done with that sentence. Nothing was as reaffirming as that _except_ your constant belief in my parenting abilities. Even when things were bad between us, and even when I thought I'd failed when she dropped out of Yale, you never stopped believing in me."

Luke squeezed her hand, "That goes both ways, you know. I might have been terrified you would doubt my ability to be a good father, but your support throughout everything with April meant more than you'll ever know to me. And then with the letter..." he shook his head. "I can't tell you how depressing it was to celebrate that victory alone."

"Regrets we'll never forget, I guess," Lorelai sighed, echoing her mother's words from earlier.

"Yeah," Luke chuckled, "It'll be nice to do the parenting thing the right way next time. On both our parts."

Lorelai stopped walking and tugged his hand to face her, "Are you really worried that's not gonna happen? You kinda freaked me out a little at the house earlier."

"I just worry about having expectations about it," Luke shrugged.

"Well, if it's anything, I think everyone around us has higher expectations than we do. If I'm not dealing with assumptions from florists for trying to order last minute flowers, it's Sookie, Patty, and Babette pestering me for details that are _none_ of their business," Lorelai bit her lip. "I love Stars Hollow, but this is one thing I really don't want to be in a fishbowl for."

"Welcome to my entire life," Luke rolled his eyes. "Not really sure there's much of a way around this one, though, especially with Sookie. You're still okay, just seeing what happens for awhile, though, right?"

"Yes," Lorelai replied without hesitating. "I want us, and I want our life together. If I'm not pregnant by our first anniversary, we can start dealing with... whatever. We'll figure it out then, if we need to."

"Good," Luke pulled their joined hands up and kissed hers gently. "Still an important thing to stay on the same page about, as we've discovered."

"Agreed," Lorelai nodded and moved closer to him as they walked, grateful that this wasn't a point of contention, especially given how eager he'd been about parenthood so recently. She wanted it too, had wanted it with him for years now, but they had so many things to be excited about in the present, she didn't want it to be overshadowed by desperation to start having a kid of their own.

Luke walked into the diner to help close while Lorelai continued walking the dog in the town square. She glanced up as someone brushed past her.

"Sorry," Dean muttered as he glanced up. "Oh, hey, Lorelai."

"Dean, long time no see. How are you?"

"Uh, pretty good. Just working, mostly. I hear things are going well for you. My cousin tried to get a reservation at the Dragonfly a few weeks ago and said you were pretty booked up."

"We are, but we do have a waiting list for dates, there are always cancellations, and y'know, I do own the place, I have some sway. What was the date, maybe I can help?"

"Around the twentieth, I think. It's no big deal, she's staying with my parents instead."

Lorelai smiled apologetically, "Ah, yeah, that's my fault. We did have a few openings and I booked them for the wedding."

"I imagine it's a pretty good wedding venue. Is it for someone local?"

"Uh, mine, actually. You really are working a lot, huh? You're managing to stay out of earshot of the grapevine pretty well."

Dean raised his eyebrows, "No, I'm not around here much lately except to crash at home. Been doing a lot of work in Woodbury thanks to a few connections from Tom. I'm moving that way once my lease is up. So you, you're, uh, getting married?"

She nodded toward the diner, smiling proudly, "Finally sealing the deal."

"Really," Dean looked surprised. "I thought you and Rory's dad... I mean... that was the last I'd heard."

"Uh, no. We didn't... that was..." Lorelai waved her hand dismissively. "Long story. But, no. Always was supposed to be Luke."

"Huh. Well, congratulations, then," he shifted awkwardly, taking the opportunity to watch Paul Anka sniff his shoe.

"He doesn't hate you, you know. Luke, I mean, not Paul Anka, he seems to approve of you. Luke's just overprotective when it comes to Rory," she explained, misunderstanding his reaction to the news.

"Oh, uh, no. I didn't mean... I just didn't think you'd really settle for Luke."

"So you've said," Lorelai frowned slightly. "And I'm not sure why. Or when I ever gave the impression that being with Luke was settling."

Dean shrugged, "You're from a different world than us. You have more than... just... this," he gestured around him.

Lorelai felt her frustration growing. It was one thing for Dean to misjudge her, but to try to limit Luke to being "just" anything was hardly fair. "You were sixteen when you moved here from - wasn't it Chicago? Do you associate yourself with Chicago?"

"No," Dean muttered.

"I wasn't much older than that when I moved here. I've spent more of my life in Stars Hollow than Hartford. I never fit in there. I'm just as much _this_ as you are, and then some." She looped Paul Anka's leash over her forearm and crossed her arms over her chest, "And I don't know why you think so poorly of Luke for growing up here. Rory grew up here."

Lorelai watched Dean's jaw twitch a few times as he processed her words.

"I don't," he finally replied, "But I think Luke and I have something in common, knowing what it feels like to fall for someone out of their league."

"Luke didn't fall for someone out of his league. Neither did you." Lorelai sighed and clenched her fists to prevent herself from throttling the young man in front of her. "Dean, I didn't settle for Luke any more than Rory settled for you. You knew when you first started dating that her goal was to see the world, experience things, write about it. Did you think she was going to give that up and stay here?"

If anything, Lorelai considered, Rory and Dean were more like Rachel and Luke. Two ships sharing a port a few times, but headed in very different directions.

"No, of course not," Dean shook his head. "The last time I saw her, she was outside her grandparents' mansion wearing these massive diamonds and a _crown_. Surrounded by all these guys in suits that probably cost more than my car. I felt like some peasant trying to win the affections of a princess."

Lorelai bit her lip and glanced down for a moment, recalling that very night. She'd had her own horrified reaction when her underage daughter came home in Emily Gilmore's jewelry and tiara, drunk, and stumbling out of a limo filled with boys. She'd also had very similar concerns that lasted long after that night and, had Rory decided to marry Logan, those concerns would likely still be nagging at her. But, as a mother, that was her prerogative.

She glanced through the windows of the diner and smiled fondly as she watched Luke placing leftover donuts in a bag for her. No, she certainly hadn't settled for Luke. But Dean was right that he and Luke had a few things in common. The first thing Luke had lashed out about after their final breakup was the difference in their worlds. It was too easy a target, too easy an excuse. And an unfair one, at that. Your world was the one you chose, not the one you were born into.

"It wasn't a great night for me, either. But it's not fair to place your own insecurities on her, Dean," Lorelai finally replied. He nodded, but didn't respond, so she continued, "It wasn't fair to push them onto Luke a few years ago, either."

"No. I was bitter. And I really hated that he could have something like that with you when I couldn't with Rory," Dean explained, scuffing his toe on the cement. "I hated Luke because he had me pegged back then. I wanted to bring him down a little. He knew I was still in love with Rory when I married Lindsay, and it bugged me. Anyway. I never should've married Lindsay. And with or without Lindsay, Rory and I never should've gotten back together. I made mistakes here I can never live down."

"Yes, you will. You're talking to the biggest maker of mistakes in this town. And no matter how out of touch you've been recently, I know you were still around for the big fat ones I've made the last two years. They've been very, _very_ public. And at least one was recorded on several cameras."

He shrugged, "Maybe. I'm glad it worked out for you two, at least, I guess."

"Really? Glad?"

Dean laughed softly, "I'm still a little bitter. And maybe a bit jealous. Luke got the girl in the end."

"God, I wish it were that simple," she laughed breathily, rolling her eyes.

"Wish what were that simple?" Luke asked as he walked up, handing Lorelai her coffee and sliding Paul Anka's leash off her arm. His smile disappeared when he saw who she was talking to. "Hey, Dean."

"Me and you. Simple?" Lorelai asked with a slight smile.

Luke snorted, "Yeah, maybe someday."

"See? Anyway, don't be bitter, Dean. You're too young for bitter. Relationships are hard. You can't compare what happened with you and Rory to anyone else."

"Yeah," he swallowed and nervously looked at Luke, "I still think she's too good for you. I think Lorelai and Rory are probably too good for anyone. But... you didn't deserve what I said that night at the Twickham house a few years back. I was a bitter punk of a kid, and wanted to bring you down with me."

Luke shrugged, "Well, I don't think you and I have had the best interactions over the years, so I probably had it coming."

Dean huffed and turned to Lorelai, "I need to get home. Early job tomorrow morning... you have every reason to hate me for the crap I pulled. But you should know... I appreciate that you've never made me feel worse than I already did, even after... well, everything that's happened between Rory and I. And even after some of the things I said tonight."

"Just let it all go, Dean. We all have. Go find a nice girl in Woodbury who's never heard of Rory or Lindsay and ask her out for coffee."

"I'll try that," Dean chuckled. "Anyway. Have a good night. And congratulations on the wedding."

Dean gave them a quick smile before walking away, and Lorelai saw a fair amount of emotions flash behind his eyes. The jealousy and regret were still there, but maybe a little bit of hope and gratitude had seeped in as well; the smile _had_ been genuine.

"What was that all about?" Luke asked as Lorelai led him to the gazebo.

"Hadn't seen the kid in a long time. Everyone says he walks around with a huge dark cloud over his head and it was the first time I'd had the chance to see it. I think he hurt himself a whole lot more than he's ever hurt Rory."

"He'll sort it out. Hard to let go of your first love."

Lorelai nodded, "Rachel took you awhile."

"Oh no, I meant Janie Farnsworth in first grade," Luke smirked as he lifted Paul Anka up the steps of the gazebo. "Tried to kiss her for two straight years."

"Never caught her, huh?"

"Oh, I did. She kissed me back, then punched me in the face," Luke sat down on the bench in the gazebo and pulled Lorelai down next to him.

"Awww, poor little Lucas, always pining away," she laughed.

"I wasn't pining, I was dumb. Although probably not as dumb as-"

"Hey! Chris was _not_ my first kiss, thank you _very_ much! Robert Friedman gets that distinction. But, really, what does it matter? It's not the first kiss, but the last one that matters most, right?"

Luke glanced down as Paul Anka chose that moment to lick Lorelai's hand and frowned at him, "What, are you trying to make a point here?"

Lorelai laughed, and was briefly silenced by Luke one-upping the dog as he leaned over to kiss her. She pulled back after a few seconds, "You're competing with my dog?"

"No competition. I'll win every time. Just don't punch me."

* * *

 _Author's Notes: I will never, ever get over the fact that Richard and Emily were buying Luke and Lorelai a house, and gave Chris and Lorelai a hideous painting. I know, different writers, but STILL._

 _BTW... there were some subtle hints that Richard and Emily had bought the Beacon Falls house throughout this entire fic. Did you catch them? Something you may not catch unless you go back and re-read this someday. And if you ever do, pay very close attention to some of the exchanges between Richard and Emily, and some of their very deliberate topics of conversation... ;) I cannot tell you how fun that was to write._

 _Next chapter: MIA! I love Mia. She was the most under-utilized character in the entire series despite being one of the most important people in Lorelai's life, a fact which drives me CRAZY. My Mia, I will tell you now, is based on the original one, not the completely different replacement in the seventh season (I know, the original one was busy acting in a play, but arrgghh, so jarringly different!)._


	27. Home is Where the Heart Is

**Chapter 27: Home is Where the Heart Is**

"Mom?" Rory smiled sleepily.

"Yeah, kid?"

"Thank you for that. We hadn't talked about it, so I was a little worried you'd decide I needed the sleep."

Lorelai grinned, "I was prepared to leave a birthday voicemail if you didn't answer."

"No way I wasn't answering. Are you in my room?"

Lorelai dropped Rory's pillow as if Rory could see her hugging it. "Why do you ask?"

"Just a guess."

"You guessed right," she admitted. "It brought you a little closer. And I didn't want to wake up Luke. I woke him up crying two years ago."

"Aw, Mom," Rory frowned. "Well just don't go upstairs and do that this year."

"I won't. I'll make sure my cheeks have dried before I go back to bed," she joked. "I should let you go, you have a long day tomorrow."

"Mmm, I do. But a great one after work. I can't wait to see Mia."

"Give her a huge hug for me. If you're not too tired, call me before you go to bed."

"I was planning to do all of that anyway. Love you. Thanks for suffering through the whole explosive pain thing for me," Rory yawned audibly as she slid back down the bed.

"It was worth it. Love you, birthday girl, get some sleep."

Lorelai hugged Rory's pillow one last time before putting it back into place and walking quietly back upstairs. She slid off her robe and crawled back under the covers, snuggling into Luke's chest.

"Birthday call done?" he mumbled.

"Mmhmm. I officially have a twenty-three year old daughter."

"Congratulations," Luke smiled, draping his arm over her shoulders.

"Happy Gave Birth Day to me," Lorelai thought about it for a moment, "You know, I always felt that should be its own thing. Like why does the kid get all the presents and the kudos for being born? She didn't do anything to help. In fact, sixteen hours of labor should mean a huge party for _me_."

"We can try that. I'm sure you'd even want to do the whole messy cake thing on your first... Gave Birth Day... with our kid."

Lorelai giggled, "Oh my god, yes, can we?"

Luke snorted. "Go to sleep."

"Mmkay," she smiled, kissing his chest before she let herself drift off.

Hours later, Lorelai moaned as she felt Luke pulling away. She shifted and moved to lay on top of him.

"Diner," Luke sighed.

"Fiancée."

"Who has her own responsibilities at her place of business, some of which involve the process of changing that title to wife," Luke rolled onto his side, dumping her back onto the bed, and quickly exited its cozy confines before she could change his mind.

"Fighting dirty using the wedding against me," Lorelai muttered, rolling over and burying her face in Luke's pillow.

"Don't get too comfortable, you told me you had to be out the door by nine. It's eight," Luke warned. He smirked as she pulled the blankets over her head in response, then made his way to the shower. Twenty minutes later, Luke had finished his shower, gotten dressed, and made Lorelai coffee. She, on the other hand, was still in the same position he'd left her in. He set the coffee on the nightstand and waited for the aroma to hit her.

"Oh my god, you're just mean today," came the moan from beneath the blankets.

"Mean would be letting you sleep. Dog's fed, I'm taking him out now that you won't have time, then I'm leaving."

"No goodbye kiss?" Lorelai pouted as she rolled over, letting the blankets slide down her naked torso suggestively.

"Now who's being mean?" Luke laughed, pulling the blankets back up and kissing her quickly somewhere in the vicinity between her lips and cheek, refusing to be tempted again. "I'll see you later."

* * *

"The biggest expense is the food so far. Not that I'm at all surprised," Gabby said as she handed the latest version of the wedding budget over to Lorelai.

"The food is so not me this time. Luke wants lobster, and this is a two year desire of his, so lobster he shall have," Lorelai grinned, then turned to cock her head at Justine's confused stare. "What?"

"Two years? You've been talking about what you want at your wedding for two years, and you just got engaged?"

"Nosy," Gabby frowned at her coworker.

Before Lorelai could answer, Michel entered the library with a cup of tea and a folder. "They can never make up their minds, the flannel man and Lorelai. They are together, then they are not, they are engaged, and then they are not."

"They're still engaged," Justine glared at him, "Hence the wedding plans."

Lorelai sighed, sending Michel a cold glare of her own, before looking back to her newer employee, "Second engagement." She looked back at Michel, "What's with you?"

"Nothing," he muttered, raising the folder in his hand and heading to Lorelai's office. "I have things to file."

"He was so nice to me this morning, and then he pulls that. I don't get it," Gabby shook her head.

"Well, that's Michel," Lorelai shrugged, then looked back at Justine. "Long story short: We were friends for almost ten years, then got together, I did something dumb, we broke up. We got back together, got engaged, life got extremely complicated, we broke up, and were apart for about a year. We got back together in June this year, and you know the rest."

"Wow. You guys are so... I never would've thought..." Justine stared. "I'm sorry, I thought you two were, like, the perfect couple."

"No such thing. And if there is, it's not us," Lorelai looked back down at the expense sheet. "I wonder if we should offer chicken or something. I know not everyone likes fish, and if I can get a rough headcount of who wants what, that'll cut down on the cost of the lobster."

"Or just the wedding party has lobster," Gabby suggested.

"Ooh. Done," Lorelai changed the headcount totals for lobster plates. "Um. Math." She handed the paper back to Gabby, who laughed and left to change the totals.

"I am so sorry. Gabby's right, I am being nosy," Justine apologized.

"Don't worry about it. I forget not everyone's had a front row seat to the Lorelai Gilmore Show. I really hope the Lorelai Danes Show has less drama and lower ratings," she chuckled, flipping through the folder. Lorelai glanced up again as Gabby re-entered the room with a new spreadsheet. "Remind me later that I need to call about that canopy."

"Due to be delivered next week, along with more little white lights," Gabby smiled as she handed over the paper. "Called earlier this morning since we hadn't gotten an update in a few days."

"Making me irrelevant," Lorelai sang, sliding the new expense sheet into the clear page holder in the binder.

"Oh, please, like I wouldn't be jumping extra high to make sure my boss's wedding goes off without a hitch," Gabby rolled her eyes and Lorelai handed her the binder.

"Okay, done until I get a rough headcount for guests, but should be safe to go ahead and confirm the lobster with the caterers. Luke had a specific fishery he wanted them ordered from. Now, I need to figure out what exactly Michel is filing; last time he messed up my entire system." Lorelai stood and walked to her office to find Michel sitting on the couch; his folder still sat on the desk, its contents unfiled. "Paper cut?" she asked as she sat down at her desk.

"No," Michel glared at her.

"Michel, we had our repair list cake and coffee at Weston's just last week, what could possibly be eating at you?" Lorelai asked.

"Whatever happened with that company that wanted to buy the inn? The one that sent the big basket of expensive gifts?"

"Uh, I told them I wasn't interested. That was... what... two years ago?" Lorelai eyed him incredulously.

"You never said," Michel pouted. "Did you change your mind?"

"Uh, no. I'm not selling the inn. I wasn't then and I'm not now."

"Even though you hired a bunch of people to do your jobs, and that company offered you more money?"

Lorelai looked confused, "Offered me more money? What are you talking about?"

"That," Michel pointed to a large envelope sitting on her desk. "I opened it."

"Well, I would guess someone did because I certainly didn't," she frowned, reaching for the envelope and checking the date. "Michel this arrived three days ago, why the hell am I just now seeing it?"

"I opened it," he shrugged.

Lorelai rubbed her forehead, "I get that. Why did you open it? It says Lorelai Gilmore, not Michel Girard. It doesn't even say Dragonfly Inn. It's _my_ mail. Personally addressed to _me_."

"Because I didn't see that. I saw Durham Group and opened it. And I didn't tell you because you are either here to plan your wedding or to give other people your job," Michel crossed his arms with a frown.

"You can't do that. Next time you check the mail, check who it's to _first_? Please?" Lorelai sighed heavily and pulled out the small stack of papers from the envelope. Enclosed was yet another offer sheet, definitely more than the last one from them, and still not enough to make her at all interested in selling her baby. Lorelai rolled her eyes and pulled out the folder containing the initial offer, shoving it in. "I'll email them later."

Michel stared at her until she looked up. "What, Michel?"

"You are emailing them to discuss selling?" he sneered.

"Uh, no. To turn them down. Again. One more time: I'm not selling the inn."

"Then why do you keep hiring people? You don't need Gabby. Or Justine. Or the three other people who are new since this summer. I thought they were temporary."

"Some were, and then Sookie and I looked over the numbers, and we realized we could keep them. Michel, this isn't the Independence. I own this place. If we're doing this right, I should be phasing myself out of the day to day stuff the same way Mia did," Lorelai dropped the folder into the drawer and kicked it shut. "I'm trying to slowly do that."

"Fine. Are we done?"

Lorelai shrugged and stared at him as he turned and left. "Would he have preferred I said yes?" She kicked the drawer one last time for good measure, counted to thirty to give Michel plenty of time to clear out of her way, and headed straight for the kitchen.

"The bride is in the house!" Sookie announced happily. "Ooh! And I think I have a menu for you to look at for Mrs. Fr... or maybe not right now," she frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Have you talked to, heard from, or otherwise had any contact with Mike Armstrong?" Lorelai asked.

"Who? Wait, isn't that the guy that wanted to buy the inn awhile back?" Lorelai nodded in response, and Sookie shook her head. "No, I never talked to him, that was always your thing, and you told me as fun as the idea was, you didn't want to sell. Just like the less impressive offers we've gotten from other companies since. Did something change?"

"No. Not on my end. He sent us another offer, though. Michel opened it, freaked out, and left the damn thing sitting on my desk, hiding in plain sight. And now he's pissed at me."

"What'd you do to make him mad?"

"Exist? I have no idea." Lorelai watched a tray filled with mugs and a carafe of coffee leave the kitchen and made her way to the coffee maker, realizing she could really use some, herself.

"Well, geez. How much did he offer?"

"Still not nearly what the inn is worth to me," Lorelai leaned against the counter with her coffee. "Definitely more than before, though."

"Weird," Sookie frowned, hands on her hips. "How much is more than before?"

"About one and a half percent more than last time."

"That's still a lot of money. You're sure-"

"Damn sure," Lorelai's eyes widened. "You're not thinking of-"

"Oh my god, no," Sookie shook her head. "I just got my butt back here. It's a few hours a day I can be an adult, flirt with my husband over produce, and see you without having to worry about someone else being my boss. That is priceless to me. But, you, you know... the timing's... interesting. You and Luke could go on a nice, long honeymoon."

"Which we're already doing."

"Or buy a boat. Oh, he did. I don't know. Vacation house, maybe? Just weird it came up again. Have you talked to Luke?"

"And freak him out?" Lorelai tapped the side of her mug in thought. No, she would have to talk to Luke especially if he was going to freak out. "I'll tell him they're back, but this time I'm not letting him badger me into a meeting he didn't want me to take in the first place," she paused, gazing out the doorway in thought, "What do you think is with Michel?"

"Honestly?" Sookie watched one of the cooks out of the corner of her eye as they began chopping vegetables a little roughly. He caught her eye and softened his movements. "I think he's jealous of Luke."

Lorelai snorted, "Jealous? Of what? He hates Luke."

"It's Michel, Lorelai. He adores you. We've both been trying to ease back on the inn a little. Luke's been spending more time in here lately with you planning the wedding. I think Michel misses you."

"I went through this last year with him. I take him out for special... dessert... lunch... things so he feels important. I talk to him more than anyone here besides you," Lorelai groaned. "This is dumb. This whole thing is dumb." She buried her face in her hands.

"Um, Lorelai?" Justine peeked her head into the kitchen. "Luke is in the lobby."

* * *

"Mia!" Rory shouted, dropping her bag and running toward the older woman.

"Rory, look at you! All grown up." Mia hugged her tightly and pulled back, holding up Rory's press credentials. "Happy birthday, you old woman."

"Oh, please. Mom says hi, and wanted me to express how jealous she is that I get to to see you."

"She said the same when I talked to her the other day."

"Mom called?"

"She did. Wanted to make sure Howard and I would be able to make it to the wedding."

"And you are?" Rory asked, eagerly.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Mia grinned. "Now, tell me all about life on the road!"

The two women walked back to retrieve Rory's abandoned bag as Rory talked about the last several states she'd been through. A short while later, as Mia drove them to her house, Rory asked Mia about a few places they'd both been to in California, and compared their experiences.

"You know, before I moved here, I had the tiniest hope you'd end up out in California for college."

"Really. Did you tell Mom that?"

"Oh, certainly not. She was having a hard enough time dealing with the idea of you in Boston, especially after your dad moved there," Mia glanced over at her. "Are things... better with him lately?"

"Uh, well. Better than some points in our lives, worse than others. We mostly communicate through email and voicemail."

Mia nodded, "Well, that's something. So how are you really liking this new lifestyle of yours?"

"It's a start, I guess. It's been interesting to see various parts of the country I don't think I ever would've traveled to otherwise. And looking at it from the perspective that I'm seeing future adults that may very well run those places, especially in the smaller towns, it's been very fascinating."

Mia smiled appreciatively at the young woman beside her and knew exactly how Rory felt.

"What?" Rory asked, noticing Mia's smile.

"Nothing. Just... you. All grown up. I'm proud of you. How's twenty-three been treating you so far?"

"Aside from work, not much to report. Mom called early this morning, of course."

Mia cackled, "She really doesn't still tell that same story?"

"The very same. Crate of dynamite and all."

"Oh Lorelai," Mia laughed.

Rory smiled, "It's nice to have it back again. It still stings that I missed it two years ago. I had a dream about it, though. God, that seems like a completely different lifetime."

"It was, when you think about it. You were a student, in a relationship... now you're working more than full-time and flying solo."

Rory nodded and glanced at the familiar house as they pulled up. She remembered the very spot where Logan had admitted to finally standing up to his dad. He learned so much last year, and yet not enough. She'd told him she wasn't up for grand gestures, and he hadn't listened.

Mia seemed to sense where Rory's mind had wandered as they walked up to the house, "You still talk to him?"

"Um, not really. We've emailed a few times, but he ranks pretty low on the priority scale in terms of who I'd contact when I have time." Rory followed Mia into the guest bedroom and smiled as she saw an ancient photo of her mother holding a toddler-sized version of herself in front of the Independence Inn. "Mia, you need some new photos."

"Oh, but I love that one. You were adorable at that age. I'll add another one after this wedding, but that one stays; it will be nice to finally add Luke to a Gilmore family photo. I can't wait to meet his daughter, even though it still amazes me he has one," Mia shook her head.

"She's a cool kid," Rory chuckled, and recounted a few of her recent experiences with April to Mia. "Did you ever meet her mom? Anna?"

Mia shook her head, "They weren't together very long, and we were doing renovations at the inn around that time, you don't remember that?"

"It sounds familiar." Rory thought back, "I remember the floors being _really_ slippery at one point. I slipped and slid right into the reception desk. Was that then?"

"I don't remember that, you poor thing!" Mia laughed, "But we did have the floors refinished, so that might be from the same time. Did you hurt yourself?"

"Walked around with a goose egg on my forehead for a few days. Mom kept telling everyone I beat up a boy," Rory shook her head as she chuckled, following Mia to the kitchen, "Like anyone would believe her. I was so scrawny, I'd fall over if the wind gust was too strong."

Mia giggled softly as she started the coffee, "Yes, you certainly were. Still are. How you and your mother manage that is beyond me. Must be something related to the caffeine intake. Speaking of, you're welcome to as much coffee as you like. It's not Luke's, but it's still pretty decent. Howard picks it up at a local place near here."

"Where is Howard?"

"He's visiting his kids and their families."

"Mia! You should've gone!"

Mia waved her off, "I will, I'll join them after you leave. He was going to leave tomorrow too, but I told him to leave early and let us have a girl's night." Mia sat down, "How have you been really, Rory? You look a little sad for a Lorelai Gilmore celebrating a birthday."

Rory sighed, "I'm not sad. Just... a little mopey. Life's moving forward so fast everywhere outside the bus. I love what I'm doing, I wouldn't trade it for the world, and I'm already leaps and bounds farther ahead than I thought I'd be. But... there's always a lot to wrap my mind around."

Mia frowned slightly, "Like what? Your mom and Luke?"

"Sometimes," Rory shrugged. "It's bigger than that, though." She ran her finger along the kitchen table. "Do you have any photos from when we lived at the inn?"

* * *

"Hey!" Lorelai smiled as she walked into the lobby. When she saw Luke's nervous expression, her smile quickly faded. "What's wrong?"

"Can we..." Luke glanced around, "Talk someplace less open?"

"Gabby just sat down to get some work done in my office," she replied apologetically, and glanced at the empty racks of keys. "Uh. A little strapped for privacy at the moment. Library's the best I can offer unless you want to get in the way of housekeeping or freeze outside."

Luke shrugged and walked into the library, nervously toying with his car keys.

"Luke, what's going on? You're making _me_ nervous," Lorelai asked, her brows knotting as she tugged the long sleeves of her sweater over her hands.

"Do you have a meeting today?"

"Uh, I did. With Gabby for the wedding, and there's another wedding one later. You knew that, we talk-"

Luke shook his head, "No, with, um..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card, "Paul Torres?"

"Who?" Lorelai frowned as he handed her the business card. She glanced down at it and read aloud, "Paul Torres, Commercial Development, O'Brien Investments? Who's this?"

"You've never heard of him?" Luke's rubbed his forehead and dropped his hands to his hips.

"No. Who is he?"

"He was at the diner for lunch, said he had a meeting with the owner of the Dragonfly Inn this evening and wanted to get a feel for the town," Luke stared at her.

Lorelai wasn't liking the tone of Luke's voice or the look on his face, it was closely bordering on accusatory, and she still had no idea who this Paul Torres person was or why he'd lie about having a meeting with her. Or Sookie.

"That would be impossible considering I'm leaving early to get a head start on wedding stuff tonight. Which, again, you knew."

"Well why would he-"

"Uh, no," she interrupted him. "Why would _I_ schedule a meeting with someone for a time I'm not even going to be here? A time I've mentioned to you - repeatedly, by the way - I would be at home. And more importantly, why would you come here badgering me about this? I don't mention every single boring business meeting I have here to you unless there's a decent story to go with it, and I still have no idea why on earth you'd care if-"

"Lorelai, he makes commercial investments," Luke cut her off, his frustration getting the better of him. "Buys businesses. He has a business meeting about purchasing a local inn. This one. With the owner. I assume Sookie's not-"

Lorelai dropped into the closest chair and groaned, hiding her face behind her hands. "Did he mention me by name?" She asked from behind her palms.

"No. If Sookie's-"

"No, not me. Not Sookie," Lorelai sighed, standing. "I was going to wait till tonight to tell you about this one, because I was holding out for a funny ending, but this is rapidly getting worse."

"Tell me about what?" Luke asked warily.

Lorelai grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward her office. She opened the door to find Gabby drawing out seating charts on the computer.

She glanced up and smiled at the two briefly, "Need me to scoot for a bit?"

"Like fifteen minutes? Sorry, I know you just sat down, and-"

"It's no problem!" Gabby smiled and quickly exited, eyeing the couple curiously.

Lorelai immediately began sorting through a stack of papers on her desk, looking through opened mail.

Luke made a face at the organized chaos covering her desk, "You need a better filing system."

"It's not normally this bad." she muttered, then shouted triumphantly as she waved an opened envelope in the air, "O'Brien Investments!" Lorelai pulled the paper out and read through it. "Just a letter of inquiry, no offer sheet with this one."

"With _this_ one?!" Luke stared.

"We've had a few others in the past year, nothing recent except the offer Michel opened - another offer sheet from the Durham Group, Mike Armstrong's company. Apparently, they're interested again and wanted to see if a higher price tag would make me change my mind," she held up a finger before Luke could speak, "Which it didn't."

"How much higher?" Luke asked. Lorelai reached into the drawer and handed him the folder. He flipped through the pages and shook his head, "It's worth more than that. But I assume it's just their starting point in what they think would be a negotiation process."

"I know. And even as a starting point, it's still not enough to make me ditch this place," she leveled her gaze at Luke, making sure there was absolutely no confusion on the matter this time. When he met her eyes and nodded, she squeezed his arm and reached for the phone, pressing the extension for the kitchen. "Hey, Sookie, is Michel in there? He is, huh? Can you send him to my office? Thanks." She hung up and set the O'Brien Investments envelope on top of the folder Luke had placed there.

Lorelai sighed heavily and glanced over at Luke, leaning her hip against the desk, "Um, I hate to do this to you, but this isn't going to be pretty and I don't want to make this worse for him. I'll tell you the whole story later tonight." She reached out and grabbed his hand, "But you know this wasn't me, right?"

Luke nodded, squeezing her hand, "I kind of overreacted there. I thought-" he was interrupted by Michel pushing open the door. "We'll talk later," Luke smiled, leaning forward to kiss her goodbye before stepping past Michel as he left the office.

* * *

As Rory poured their coffee, Mia carried a stack of photo albums and dropped them on the kitchen table with a thud.

"I had more, but you know your grandmother has a fair amount of them now."

Rory's eyes widened, "Uh, she... how?"

Mia cocked her head, "I sent them to her years ago. Back when I still had the Independence. I believe it was that last visit I made before the place caught fire. She must have heard I was in town and stopped in to talk to me. She never went through them with you?"

"No," Rory replied thoughtfully, wondering if her mother knew. "What did you talk about?"

"Sadly, nothing. I've been hoping all these years to be able to talk to her, but... back then, I think, it was too soon. You hadn't even been doing your Friday night dinners very long by that point. And at my wedding, she was already feeling fairly awkward." Mia thought back to her brief encounters with Lorelai's mother. In the same way that Lorelai hid her feelings behind a mask of humor, Emily hid hers behind a mask of ice cold disdain. Yet neither could hide the emotions that filled their eyes.

"Was she mean that first time?" Rory asked expectantly.

Mia laughed, "No. Stiff. But she was hurting. Almost hid it well enough, but I could see it. Must run in the family, trying to hide emotions like that. Well, your mother and grandmother, anyway, you not quite so much."

Rory smiled a little. Indeed, it was something both her mother and grandmother excelled at, and was something she, herself, failed completely at. If she was upset, there was no hiding it, it was all over her face, and pouring out in words before she could stop herself. She and her mother were so similar, but in some ways, so different.

"What was it like back then, when we first arrived at the inn?" Rory asked. "I mean, I know the stuff we always talk about. But I feel like things are always glossed over. Mom had to have been miserable sometimes. I mean, sixteen with a kid? Not always fun, even if you are Lorelai Gilmore."

"Rory Gilmore, I am not spilling your mother's secrets," Mia shook her finger teasingly. "You've really never asked her about that time?"

"Not asking about her secrets!" Rory laughed. "I think I used to talk about it more when I was younger, and it was always the trivial, kid friendly version of events. But we were talking about a few things recently, and it got me thinking a bit about the reality of it all and what it must have been like. Was she sad?"

"Not often. You know your mother, she's very good at distracting herself from negative feelings. But sometimes..." Mia flipped open a photo album and slid it in front of Rory. She pointed to a photo of Rory as a baby sitting on Lorelai's lap, both clearly unaware of the camera capturing their profiles. Rory leaned in to get a closer look. Two sets of blue eyes gazed at something in the distance. Her mother's dark hair had caught a slight breeze and was blown back a little. There was a sad, pensive expression on Lorelai's young face as she bit her lip slightly.

"It's a nice picture," Mia continued, "And when it was taken by the event photographer, he told me my daughter looked beautiful, but if you know her... well... it's a little heart-wrenching. You can tell she's hurting over something."

Rory nodded, "It is a lovely shot... I wonder what she was thinking about." She glanced up at Mia, "Did she ever talk to you about stuff?"

"She did," Mia smiled a little sadly, "A lot about your grandparents, some about your father, about her future... your future... it's a lot to deal with as an adult, when you're a child raising a child, that's... a heavy weight to carry alone."

"Well, I'm glad she had you," Rory glanced up at her friend gratefully, and looked back at the beautiful, sad photograph one last time before turning the page. Rory chuckled upon seeing the next photo - her mother with a coffee mug in one hand and Rory in the other. "And I guess she'll have Luke next time," she sighed.

"This bothers you," Mia observed.

"Not that she'll have Luke... I honestly never even thought she wanted another kid. We never talked about that much aside from the times I wanted a brother or sister when I was little." Rory shrugged, "It doesn't bother me, but it's hard not to feel like... I don't know. It's silly. But April and I both feel a little jealous of any kids my mom and Luke have and they don't even exist yet."

Mia dropped her hand onto Rory's arm, "She deserves that. They both do."

"I know," Rory replied quietly. "And I know I'll be thrilled when that happens in the same way I'm so happy she and Luke are finally _really_ together. But it's hard to be on the outside of all this. I've had a few conversations with people about the idea of home and what makes up home. It's hard to shift perspective a little and have a different understanding of what that means to me."

"Stars Hollow isn't home?"

"It is," Rory quickly confirmed. "But for so long, I couldn't ever imagine living anywhere other than the potting shed. It was such a cool place to grow up, and it was just mine and Mom's. Like our little club house. I was so proud of it. And then we moved to the house and it felt so weird for weeks. But, eventually, that became home. Mom and I got into this argument about it when I was there last because I simply mentioned the fact that she and Luke would probably be moving soon."

Mia chuckled, hardly surprised. "You realize it's her only connection to you when you're gone."

"Yeah, I could've been a little more sensitive," Rory admitted. "How did you do it? Leave the house you raised your kids in, and leave Stars Hollow behind entirely?"

"Well, home really is where the heart is. Sometimes your heart is in a few different places, and that's okay. Going to Stars Hollow is like going home for me, but for awhile, watching my grandkids play on the beach in Santa Barbara, drinking my coffee in the morning while smelling the ocean... that was home too. And then I met Howard." Mia smiled, "And home was wherever he was. But I still like visiting California, and I'm greatly looking forward to visiting Connecticut in a few weeks. Both of those places are still home for me."

Rory nodded slowly, pondering Mia's words, "Sometimes clichés are clichés for a reason, I guess. I always thought of home as more of a singular concept."

"It is for some people. I think it's been that way for you and your mom over the years... and I think that will probably change for both of you. Certainly for you. Your mom can be a little stubborn, it took me years to convince her she could afford to leave the potting shed. Of course, she had her own ideas, and went from staying there to putting down an offer on the house, so I guess she knew what she was doing."

"Really? I always wondered how we were able to afford that place. Mom would never discuss it seriously, just reminded me we always made it work."

Mia sipped her coffee and thought back. It was Rory's fifth birthday when the subject had first come up. Lorelai and Rory had made quite a few friends by then, and a guest room at the Independence Inn was a bit too small for all the people who wanted to help celebrate the little girl's birthday, while a banquet hall would have been too big. Mia had offered to host it, and Lorelai had put up quite a fight until Mia had started moping about never having been able to throw a party for a little girl. Eventually, after Lorelai had made up a rough guest list, she caved and allowed Mia to help throw the party.

The party had been a hit, and after Rory had conked out on Patty's lap, Mia watched Lorelai quietly slip outside. She found her sitting on the porch swing on the back porch, a serious expression on her face as she stared at the children's swing set in the yard that Mia was decades overdue in taking down. It took a bit of nudging to find out what was going through the young woman's head, but Lorelai eventually admitted to feeling inadequate as a parent for not being able to host her own kid's party.

In the following weeks, Lorelai used all her spare time putting together a tight budget that spanned the coming years, and with a fierce look in her eye, asked Mia to keep directing her toward any further movements up the chain of command at the inn. Mia hadn't needed to make much of an effort to help the young woman. Lorelai's own boundless energy and persistence made her Mia's most valuable employee; her promotions had been more than earned, and Mia knew Lorelai wouldn't have accepted it otherwise.

By the time Rory was ten, Lorelai had saved up enough to put a decent down payment on the house she jokingly referred to as the Crap Shack, making just enough to afford the monthly mortgage payments. It was by no means the fanciest house in Stars Hollow, and was in need of a little tender loving care, but Lorelai was in love with it. What she couldn't afford to fix, she made the best of. Mia hadn't been surprised. She'd found Lorelai's resilience admirable since she'd arrived in Stars Hollow, and it was why she'd eventually left her with the the large responsibility of running the Independence Inn.

Mia looked over at Rory with a soft smile after giving her a greatly abbreviated version of the events leading up to the purchase of the house, "Your mother is a determined woman."

* * *

"Sit," Lorelai motioned to the chair in front of her desk. Michel took a seat and Lorelai noticed a slight nervousness in his eyes behind the usual mask of irritation, "Tell me about Paul Torres."

"Are you firing me?"

"Do I have reason to?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No," Michel took a deep breath. "I called Paul Torres after I opened his letter."

"Why?"

"To tell him to go away."

"Because you didn't think I would," Lorelai frowned.

"He kept talking. He is a talker, like you. You would probably like him. And since he would not listen to me, and said he wanted to set up a meeting with you to talk before you said no, I decided I would let him show up for a fake meeting and perhaps he would be so angry that you did not come, he would go away."

Lorelai sighed heavily and dropped into her chair, "Did it ever occur to you that I might want this guy as a business contact for any number of reasons? Even if I never sell this place, having investors can be incredibly useful, especially if we want to expand or remodel. As someone who has profit sharing, this is something that should be of a major concern to you. Michel, we've had multiple offers over the years, the answer has always been no."

Michel looked guilty as he considered her words and, wisely, chose not to speak.

"Are there _any_ other people you've rebuffed, insulted, or otherwise dealt with, either by throwing away their mail or misleading them besides Paul Torres and Mike Armstrong?"

"No," he shook his head, "It was just those two. I can call Paul Torres and explain there was a misunderstanding, if you would like," Michel offered.

Lorelai shook her head, "No, I'll need to deal with that. Which means staying and losing more time I barely have enough of that I should be spending on my wedding." She met his eyes, making sure he understood what he'd done was hardly being taken lightly. "I've shrugged off things in the past, but this one... it's beyond just setting up a fake meeting, Michel. And this is just after being officially promoted to manager. I can't have this - or _anything_ like this _ever_ happening again. Do you understand? No opening my mail, no arranging meetings of _any_ sort, and I do not want to hear your name associated with any negative experiences with guests."

Michel gaped, "Ever?! Not every complaint is my fau-"

"No, it's not, so you better make sure that if there is one, it's extremely obvious that it doesn't involve something you said," Lorelai sighed. "Go home early, and do not ever pull anything like this again, Michel."

"If you ever sell the inn, would you tell me before it happens?"

"If there's something you need to know about the inn, for any reason, have I ever held back anything?"

"Well... no." Michel stood, "Lorelai..." he paused, swallowing hard before continuing, "I'm sorry."

Lorelai raised her eyebrows in surprise, "One more time? I didn't give that the full attention it deserved."

Michel grumbled and left the office. As the door shut behind him, Lorelai dropped her head into her hands as she tried to come up with a new plan for her evening. After rescheduling her appointment with the catering company, she called Paul Torres and managed to bump the meeting up to four o'clock. She rearranged a few other plans, and bolted home to change into something a little more professional before returning to the inn for her meeting.

"Ms. Gilmore," Paul Torres smiled and shook Lorelai's hand. "I'm pleased to finally meet you."

Lorelai returned his smile and took in his appearance. He was an older man, perhaps in his sixties, with dark silvering hair, wearing slacks, a sweater, and a blazer - classy, professional, but toned down, a little relaxed. He'd clearly done his homework and had a fair idea of the business and person he would be dealing with.

"Thank you, I have to admit, there was a bit of a mix-up with one of my employees and I only just found out about this meeting today. Before you get your hopes up, Mr. Torres, I need to make sure you understand I'm not currently interested in selling the inn."

"Please, call me Paul. And I had heard as much from a colleague of mine."

"And who would your colleague be?"

"Your father, actually. His company handles a lot of insurance matters for our company." He paused for a moment, looking slightly guilty. "I admit, I approached him because I saw Mark Armstrong from the Durham Group hounding him several weeks ago and was curious what dealings he'd have with him given that the Durham Group is, occasionally, my competition."

"I'm not sure what he told you," Lorelai replied cautiously, "But I've turned down the Durham Group, and a few other investors in the past."

"I wasn't aware of other offers," Paul raised his eyebrows in surprise, "But he did tell me as much about the Durham Group. I couldn't pass up an opportunity to at least get my foot in the door in the event that Richard was wrong, or you'd changed your mind."

* * *

Two hours later, Lorelai kicked her heels off as she walked in the door of her house. She'd let Paul Torres pull out his paperwork, and although his offer was significantly higher than Mark Armstrong's, she still found herself disinterested. She called Sookie over to join them, just in case, and she turned him down as well. Much the way previous offers had gone, Paul handed over the paper work, another copy of his business card, and reminded her to give him a call if she was ever looking for an investor, even on a smaller level. His information was given its own folder and relegated to the same drawer as Mike Armstrong and a few other investors and hotel chains. She did, however, slide his folder to the front.

"Luke? Paul Anka?" Lorelai called. She walked into the kitchen to find a post-it stuck to the coffee-maker:

 _Meeting Tom at house for quick look-over, took dog with me._

Lorelai pouted briefly, and grabbed a bag of chips from a cupboard in the kitchen. She moved back into the living room, propping her feet up to relax as she turned on the television. After a half hour of channel surfing, she found herself starving and reached for her phone to call Luke.

"Hey, we were just walking back to the truck," Luke said as he answered the phone, glancing down to make sure Paul Anka was still following along beside him.

"Good, I'm ravenous. What did Tom have to say?"

"Not much. He didn't stay long," he opened the passenger door and grinned a little as Paul Anka leapt up and got comfortable on the seat. "We'll talk when I get home."

They hung up, and Lorelai let the TV distract her from her hunger and impatience.

She was startled out of her TV watching trance several minutes later when she heard a loud thump against her front door. Torn between hiding and investigating, curiosity eventually won out, and she walked over to peek out the window. She cocked her head in confusion seeing Luke laughing on the lawn. Her curiosity growing, she walked to the front door, opening it just in time to see a large stick land at her feet.

She glared at Luke, and bent down to retrieve what appeared to be a piece of a tree branch. Before she could reach it or ask Luke what he was doing, Paul Anka barreled up the steps and quickly grabbed it before bolting back to Luke and dropping the stick at his feet.

Lorelai gaped, "How did you do that?!"

Luke laughed as he picked up the stick. The two walked back up to the house, Paul Anka once again ignoring his fear of stairs as he happily trotted up them alongside his companion.

Luke leaned over to kiss his fiancée hello and smiled proudly, "I don't know, I let him off the leash while we were in the back yard at the house and he was trying to drag this huge branch over. I snapped a smaller piece off, and he started going crazy, so I threw it... and... well, now you know what we've been up to."

Lorelai folded her arms in front of herself and laughed, addressing her dog, "Always full of surprises, aren't you." She ushered the male members of her household indoors and leaned against a counter as Luke started making dinner. Tired of talking about the inn, selling it, and not selling it, she brushed Luke's question about her meeting aside to save for later, and asked him about the house.

"Well, Tom said the place is in great shape, and pointed out a few recent repairs it had undergone. He's pretty sure your parents either had the original owners work on some things or had work done after they bought it." Luke explained as he began pulling items out of the refrigerator. "The back is amazing. A little overgrown, but there's even a garden area."

"And what would we do with that? Do you garden?"

Luke shrugged, "I wouldn't mind having some fresh herbs back there. Some seasonal stuff. Just an idea." He gestured to the asparagus to his right, "You wanna chop the ends off of those for me?"

Lorelai moved over and began preparing the asparagus. Over the last few months, if she happened to be in the kitchen while Luke was cooking, he'd hand her small tasks to help out, never giving her direct control over anything that involved actual cooking, but she felt good about being able to contribute a little. In praise of her efforts, Luke would refrain from commenting each time she declared herself the master of some new skill.

As Luke talked more about the discoveries he'd made at the house, Lorelai quietly watched his face. When he finally noticed how quiet she'd gotten, he paused and looked over at her questioningly.

"You love it," Lorelai said seriously, the corners of her mouth turning up just slightly.

"I think it's a little early to say that, but... it's... uh... I do kinda like it." He held her gaze for a few moments, "What are you thinking?"

"You ready for a little role reversal? I do love it, but it's starting to wig me out that it's not us buying this place ourselves," Lorelai chopped the end off the last asparagus and turned to cover a baking sheet in foil. She handed it to Luke as she continued, "I spent the latter half of my day in various discussions about my inn. _My_ inn. And I came home to _my_ house. Texted _my_ daughter. All things I was responsible for. That house... it feels weird that it's not something whose existence I had something to do with."

"I can understand that," Luke nodded as he drizzled olive oil over the foil and began arranging the asparagus, "I told you, I'm fine staying here if you-"

"No," Lorelai quickly replied. She ran her hand over the familiar countertop. "I told _you_ before, I know I have to let go of this place and start thinking of the next part of my life. Of our lives. I love the place, I love everything about it, and I can see us there. It just doesn't feel right not having really worked for it or earned it."

"Yeah, I still hate that part of it, too," Luke sighed.

"I was thinking we could buy it off of them..."

Luke shook his head, "You know we can't afford it. I know the inn's turning a really good profit now, but unless you've got some hidden savings account somewhere, that house is way out of our budget," Luke grimaced, "Unless we worked out something unofficial out with your parents..."

"Huh," Lorelai rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "Let's try to come up with ideas. I want to have a plan in place by Friday night."

"We will. First, tell me about your meeting."

* * *

Rory stretched out on the bed in Mia's guest bedroom. She didn't realize how much she'd missed Mia. Although she wasn't able to get as many details about her mother as she would've liked - she hadn't expected Mia to be so protective - hearing a few stories was nice. It had been a long time since the two of them had spent time alone together.

As promised, she called her mom's cell phone.

"You know, when I was twenty-three, you were in first grade. Thank you for not making me a grandparent before I'm ready."

Rory snorted, "Well, you're welcome. And hello to you, too."

Lorelai grinned and stretched out on the couch. Luke had gone to bed a bit earlier, having an early morning ahead of him, and his furry buddy had gone along with him. Lorelai had taken up residence with her dessert and a movie to wait for Rory's call and let the day's events fade into the past.

"How's Mia? Did you open your big birthday present?"

"Uh, yeah," Rory eyed the shiny new laptop sitting on the nearby desk, "I was going to call as soon as I opened it, but I remembered you had that meeting with the caterers. Thank you. You're insane, but thank you."

"I can't let your dad get you all the cool electronic gadgets, you know. And Luke paid for half, so it's technically from both of us. Weird, huh?"

"No," Rory replied with a smile, "I like that. And fitting after some of the things we talked about tonight."

"Oh? About Luke? Spill."

"About Lorelai," Rory chuckled as she heard her mom's offended gasp. "Don't worry, your other mommy won't spill the beans much when it comes to her favorite fake daughter, not even when it's for her favorite fake granddaughter. Anyway, it's just nice that you two are doing... joint gifts. I haven't gotten to talk about you much lately, how are things over there?"

Lorelai bit her lip as she toyed nervously with one of the buttons on her blouse, "Um, good. I had another offer on the inn. Two, actually. Turned them down, of course. But almost lost them as potential contacts thanks to Michel butting in."

"Yikes. Luke didn't act stupid about it this time, did he?"

After hearing the entire tale, Rory could still tell there was something her mother was leaving out.

"Are you sure that's all?"

"What do you mean?"

"I just feel like there's something you're not telling me. You have that weird... nervous voice and you keep making dumb jokes and worse puns," Rory frowned. "Is there something else going on? Are things okay with the wedding?"

Lorelai hesitated. Although she desperately wanted to talk to Rory about the house, she did not want to do so on her birthday.

"There is... something... I want to talk to you about, but not tonight. It's not urgent, and-"

"I knew it. Tell me," Rory sat up, suddenly worried. When she was met with silence, she clenched her fist nervously, "Mom, I'll either sit here and guess any number of awful things or-"

"My parents bought the house. That house Mom showed me when Luke and I were first engaged. They bought it, rented it out for awhile, and want us to have it." When Rory didn't reply, Lorelai checked her phone to make sure the call hadn't dropped off before continuing. "We're not sure about it for a bunch of reasons, and there's no way we'd take it without talking to you first."

Rory stared blankly across the room and slowly began to lay back down, processing this new information.

"Rory?"

"You should take it," Rory said quietly. "You said you loved it when you saw it at the realtor's office. You kept wanting to go find it and I kept talking you out of it."

Lorelai toyed more roughly with the button as she felt a rush of emotions at Rory's tone, "Why do you think we should take it?"

"For every reason I told you before. I know you can't live in our house forever."

"I can't even consider it when your voice sounds like that."

"Mom, I've been working to be okay with this since I first heard you and Luke were back together. You can fight it as long as you want, but you need a bigger place. April should have her own room, not have to share half of mine. You said you and Luke are gonna have a kid or a few kids or whatever... they'd need a place to go."

Lorelai frowned as the button came loose in her fingers, "Well, we haven't made any decisions. I don't like my parents buying me a house, and neither does Luke. I thought this was something we'd do together, invest in together, the same way we did when we renovated here, and buying the car, and... Rory, tell me what you're feeling, not what you think we should do."

Rory took a deep breath, "I feel really happy for you, and then... also a little bit sad for me. But mostly just shocked because I can't believe they did that."

"Well, when the shock wears off, talk to me, okay? This place isn't just mine, kid, it was yours and mine before Luke ever moved in. And Luke and I's lives involve you and April, too."

"April, yes, but Mom," Rory paused, closing her eyes, "You know I'd probably get my own place if I were to need somewhere to stay on a long-term basis, right?"

Lorelai pouted, but after thinking about it for a moment, realized her daughter was twenty-three, grown, and wouldn't want to be living with her mother long-term. She was just slightly younger than Rory when she'd started working toward buying her own house, desperate to get out from under Mia's loving wing and prove to herself she was a capable adult. "Yeah, I can understand that. But no matter what happens, you always have a place wherever I am, okay?"

"Of course," Rory smiled a little, and asked how she found out about the house. After Lorelai retold the story of looking for the flower shop, the revelatory brunch, and all the smaller discussions with Luke, Rory felt more and more certain that moving was the right choice. Knowing how her mother was feeling, and recalling her admission to Mia that this was an area she should probably be a little more sensitive toward her mother about, she held back.

"I'll let you know how dinner goes on Friday," Lorelai finally said.

"Good. Just don't turn it down because of me, okay? Home is where the heart is, you know, and it turns out my heart's in more places than just that house."

"Okay, little Mia," Lorelai replied with a wry grin as Rory laughed. "I'm gonna let you get to bed, birthday girl. I'm glad you liked your gift. April helped pick it out, so you should probably thank her for that, too."

"I will," Rory smiled, imaging April's glee at being asked to assist in such an important task. "I miss you."

"Me too. I'll see you soon, though."

"Yep. And Mom? You know I appreciate everything you've always done to give me a home... but you know that you're home to me just as much as any place we've ever lived, right?"

Unlike the many times Rory had made her cry over the last few months, either by leaving or arriving, by something she'd said, or something she'd written, this time, Lorelai did nothing to hide the fact that she'd just burst into tears. After the last few days, from the house to wedding plans to the inn, those words were exactly what Lorelai needed to hear.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: Sorry for the unexpected delay between chapters! Real life stuff kept me away from the computer the last few days. Fortunately, this was one of the longer chapters. To make up for the mini disappearance, I'll try to get the next one up before the end of the night (Pacific time)._


	28. Acceptance

**Chapter 28: Acceptance**

"I have an idea," Lorelai said as she watched Luke refill her coffee.

"What about?" Luke asked, sliding the mug in front of her.

She waited for Kirk to finish vacating his spot a few seats down from her at the diner's counter before she elaborated on her idea.

"About what you should do with the old apartment."

Luke frowned, "I don't even want to think about that right now. We have the wedding and this house thing to deal with."

"So it's something to mull over and not have to make any major decisions on," she tapped her nail on the side of the mug, "You should open a cafe."

"I serve coffee here, I don't need a designated spot to serve more coffee."

"You don't have espresso, though. Or books. Or music with acoustic guitars playing in the background. Live music nights..." Lorelai wagged her eyebrows.

"I don't want espresso, we have enough books at home, and I don't want music playing in here."

"It wouldn't be in here, it would be upstairs. You could call it that, too. Upstairs," she grinned widely. "What did you do today? Oh, I was hanging out at Luke's Upstairs. Had a latte, got some work done."

"People can get their work done at their place of business and Weston's has lattes," Luke argued.

"Hey, it's just an idea. The best anyone has had yet."

"Do I even need to ask what made you think of it?"

Lorelai grinned, "I awoke with an insatiable need for a cappuccino. As I was sipping the one I got at Weston's, I couldn't help but wonder how much better one would be here."

Luke shook his head and left to go take someone's order. Several minutes later, he was standing in front of her, watching her in thought.

"What?" Lorelai eyed him as she finished her lunch.

"It's not a terrible idea."

"Really."

"I'll think about it more after the wedding. After we figure out whatever we're doing with our living situation." Luke rubbed his neck. "You ready for tonight?"

"Am I ever ready for dinner with my parents?" Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I think we had a few good ideas for the house this week."

"Yeah, I just don't want to offend anyone. I understand where your dad's coming from, and I want to make sure he gets that. I don't want this to cause a problem with them."

"It won't," Lorelai stood. "Gotta get back to work. Kiss?"

"What, no tip?" Luke scoffed, mocking offense.

"I always tip," Lorelai flirted, "And it's Friday, so..."

"So..."

"Hey, Cesar!" she called, "You're opening tomorrow, right?"

"You bet!" came the reply from the kitchen.

"So, plenty of tipping," Lorelai grinned wickedly as she gave Luke a quick kiss and left the diner.

Luke watched her go, and took a quick glance around the diner. It was mostly empty, and his staff wouldn't miss him if he disappeared for a bit. He quickly walked up the stairs to his old apartment and began gazing at the place with a new perspective.

Hours later, as Luke drove his truck to Hartford, he found he'd been grateful for the distraction. After taking a few trips up to his old apartment, he'd started envisioning how a cafe could work. It kept him from worrying about the house the Gilmores had purchased, and the conversation they'd be having that night to make the final decision about whether or not they'd be accepting it. Of course, he was now faced with that very thing, and felt relieved Lorelai was sitting quietly rather than feeding his nerves with her own.

Lorelai watched Luke's jaw moving, and knew he was on edge. She was nervous, but not, it seemed, to the same degree as her fiancé. Her phone buzzed, and she smiled at the reassuring text from Rory, reminding her, once again, not to be too proud to take the house, if it came down to it.

They arrived at the Gilmore mansion far faster than Luke would have preferred. As they got settled in the living room with drinks, he wondered if he should have taken a different route. Then again, prolonging the agony might have been worse.

Conversation over drinks centered around the remaining wedding details, highlighted by a brief argument between Emily and Lorelai about unfinished bridesmaid dresses. Just before Richard was about to suggest a change of subject, the maid called for dinner.

Lorelai chugged the rest of her second martini and stood, readying herself for the inevitable. In typical Emily fashion, as soon as soup bowls were removed and Lorelai was about to take a bite of her chicken, Emily asked the question they'd all been waiting for.

"Have you had any new thoughts about the house?"

Lorelai ignored her mother for a moment, allowing herself to enjoy her forkful of poultry before she replied. Her mother had interrupted enough of her meals in the last few months.

"We have. And, actually, we're thinking... it makes a lot of sense to consider moving into it."

Emily set her fork down, knowing what was coming.

"But," Lorelai continued, "We're not sure we can take it outright. It's a very nice gift, but it's a bit... much." She glanced at Luke to continue the thought, as they'd planned.

"We have a few other ideas to run past you. You know a place of that size in that location is far outside our budget, even with as well as we're both doing. And I understand wanting to provide for your family, believe me, but I think we can probably find a solution that balances out all of our, uh... interests."

Richard and Emily exchanged a glance, smiling at each other.

"I expected you might say that," Richard replied. "Emily and I thought the conversation at brunch went a bit too easily, and when we hadn't heard from you about it this week, Lorelai, we knew you might feel this way. If you'll excuse me for a moment, I have an idea I'd like to propose."

As Richard stood, Lorelai glanced over at Luke in surprise. Since they'd gotten back together, her parents had managed to surprise or completely shock her far too many times. For two people who'd seemed to fail to understand her as a child and teenager, they seemed to have suddenly overcome that and, instead, were making a huge effort to accept the person she was. Lorelai found it all very confusing and if the look on Luke's face was anything to go by, she wasn't the only one.

"Lorelai, don't look so shocked, I told you last year, I expected a bit of push-back from the two of you over such a lavish gift."

"I know," Lorelai replied quickly, "But push-back between you and I usually results in an argument, not a compromise."

Emily nodded slowly and she regarded her daughter seriously, "Things change."

The heavy moment between the two was interrupted when Richard returned from his study, holding a few sheets of paper.

"What I would propose is that we split it between what we've paid, and your inheritance, Lorelai."

Lorelai raised an eyebrow, "I have an inheritance?"

"Of course you have an inheritance," Emily said disdainfully. "Did you think you had a sibling we'd been keeping from you all these years?"

"Uh, no, I thought it would all go to Rory," Lorelai shrugged.

"No," Emily frowned. "She has an inheritance as well, as would be expected given that she's our granddaughter, but you _are_ our daughter."

Lorelai nodded, feeling a twinge of guilt. In the weeks preceding her departure when Rory was a baby, she was fairly certain that leaving would have her written out of her parents' will. Aside from knowing she'd miss a few sentimental items, removing herself from a massive payout of money someday was actually a relief. It detached her from the world she was leaving in a very significant way. But now, knowing her parents in a different way, she understood the importance behind the sentiment and was grateful they'd never given up on her as she'd assumed. Maybe they were all learning to understand each other a little more.

Richard looked from Luke to Lorelai, "Would such an agreement be amenable to the two of you? Technically, you would still be paying for half of it, given that it would be coming out of money Lorelai would be receiving anyway."

Lorelai glanced over at Luke. He still looked rather hesitant, which made her a little nervous.

"Can you excuse us for a moment?" she asked, and her mother motioned to the other room, knowing important discussions could hardly be had via eye contact.

As Lorelai shut the door to her father's study, she looked at up at Luke who was standing awkwardly in front of her, "And you're thinking... yes? No? Maybe?"

"It's still a _lot_ ," he winced. "I feel a little... useless, here."

Lorelai nodded, running her tongue over the inside of her cheek in thought. She tried to put herself in Luke's shoes. Given her father's idea, Luke still wasn't contributing anything, himself. She knew she'd be somewhat put out if she was in the same position.

"Okay," Lorelai finally responded, "Can I point something out? If we pretend the house doesn't exist, and this entire evening isn't even happening... if both my parents died in some freak accident after our wedding, and I received that inheritance, would you object to using it for us to buy our own place?"

Luke frowned as he considered he words, eventually muttering, "No. It would make the most sense."

"Then consider the inheritance _ours_. Since by the time I receive it, it would be."

Luke regarded his fiancée carefully, "You really want this house."

Lorelai crossed her arms in front of her and stared at an invisible spot on the floor for a moment, "I know we've gone back and forth on it, but I do. Because it's a good house, it fits us, it fits our plans for the future, and I like the story behind it. That they held onto it even after I married Chris, but didn't even consider giving it to him and I, but as soon as you and I started planning our wedding and future together..." she shrugged self-consciously, "Maybe it's just me being overly sentimental about something I shouldn't be."

"No, that's... nice. It's sentimental, but not, y'know... overly," Luke smiled a little and ran his fingers through his hair as he continued to consider Richard's idea.

Lorelai took a deep breath and rested her hand on his forearm, "That said... I'm still fine saying no. You've talked it up a lot the last few days, but we can still find something we'll both like just as much."

"You did the second best thing already this year, doesn't really work."

"Oh, thanks for that reminder," Lorelai frowned, pulling her hand back, crossing her arms again and taking a small step back.

"It wasn't... I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that," Luke grimaced. "We both know what it's like to settle, and I don't want to give up on it just because we're not sure about it."

They both were quiet for a moment, considering their options.

"What if we paid for some of it, out of what we would've used to buy our own place, used some of your inheritance, and your parents can pay for the smallest portion," Luke said, breaking the silence. "Thirds. We pay for a third, your inheritance pays for a third, and they pay for a third. I think I might be okay with that."

"I don't want you to just be okay with it."

"Lorelai," Luke sighed, "Like you said, I was the one talking it up a lot, and I stand by everything I've said in its favor. I _love_ the house. I'm _just_ _okay_ with the situation. I'm sure I'll be _more_ than just okay with it as time goes on."

Lorelai smirked, "Ah, old school Luke. I wondered where he'd been all this time." Before he could object, she gave his hand a gentle squeeze, "Let's counter-offer with that, then."

* * *

"What's this?" Rory frowned as an old baseball glove landed in her lap.

"A baseball glove," Miles rolled his eyes, stating the obvious.

"Uh, why is it _on_ me?" Rory picked the bound leather glove up with her thumb and forefinger and held it up for him to take.

"Let's go throw a ball around. Our stuff is published, you have three stories approved and ready to go live, and I've seen you glance at that used book store across the street three times, but I know you have no room left in your bag." Miles gestured outside the window of the coffee shop that Rory and a handful of reporters had been using all day thanks to its free wifi. "It's gorgeous out, unseasonably warm, and there's a park a block away. Come on."

Rory laughed, "Aw, Miles. I don't throw a ball around. That's a sports thing."

"I'll teach you. It's fun."

"And what happens when I miss the ball and it flies hundreds of yards past me? Because I also don't run. And-"

"Then I'll run after it and hand it to you. Come on, Rory, I promise it'll be fun."

"We have very different ideas of fun," Rory frowned at him, but still let him drag her out of the booth she was seated at. As she grabbed her stuff, she shook her head, muttering, "Wow, now I know how Luke felt all these years."

"Felt about what?" Miles asked.

"You really are my mother. Annoying and pesky and not inclined to shut up unless you get your way."

Miles grinned, "Well, as I said the last time you compared us, you do like your mom, so I guess there are worse things to be compared to."

"Not much," Rory grumbled.

The two put their bags down nearby, and after a few minutes, Rory was not only chasing some of the balls she'd failed to catch, but was finding the enjoyment of throwing a ball back and forth.

"So where'd you get this anyway?" she asked as she sent a ball flying several feet to the left of Miles and his waiting glove. "Oops, sorry!"

After chasing it down, Miles tossed it back her way, "Found 'em at a used sporting goods store yesterday. Figured since it's been a little warm this week, it could be fun."

"Huh," Rory replied as she caught the ball, "This is much better than racquetball." She threw it back and grinned excitedly as Miles caught it.

"You played racquetball but you've never thrown a baseball?"

"After Mom and Luke's big breakup. She didn't want to talk about it, and I didn't want to talk about missing my boyfriend, so we decided to try something different. She got nailed in the face, and it was over." Rory held her hand up, cringing, "Um, throw that carefully after I just said that."

Miles rolled the ball across the grass and Rory snorted, "I'm not _that_ pathetic." She stopped the ball with her foot and picked it up.

"You could've used your glove like a real ball player," Miles complained.

"Or I could use the foot that was already down there, preventing me from having to bend over and wait for it to reach me. Sports people are dumb."

Miles rolled his eyes, knowing better than to try explaining. They tossed the ball back and forth several more times before he started a new conversation, "We haven't hung out much since your birthday, how'd that go?"

"Really great. Mia's awesome. Helped me clear my head a bit. Did you see my shiny new laptop?"

"I did. No wonder you like her so much."

"Nah, that's from Mom and Luke," Rory grinned, and stepped out of the way as the ball sailed past her.

She pouted and held her arm.

"That was a perfect throw, you could've caught that one!" Miles called, a disappointed look on his face.

"You said you'd run after any I didn't catch," Rory continued pouting and whined, "My arm's tired."

Miles groaned and bolted after the ball, while Rory plopped onto a nearby bench. As Miles joined her, she handed him the extra glove.

"That was fun," Rory admitted, "Thanks for dragging me out. I miss random warm fall days."

"You're welcome," Miles grinned, pleased with himself. "I had a few backups lined up in case I couldn't convince you. I knew it was a long shot."

"Man, I'm a pushover. Should've held out longer."

Miles chuckled and pointed at the phone in her bag, "Phone's ringing. Wanna head back?"

Rory raised her eyebrows in surprise, seeing "Dad" on the screen, "Go ahead without me, I'll catch up with you later. That really was fun, we should do it again," she smiled.

"Anytime," Miles grinned happily, and began walking back toward their hotel with his gloves and ball.

"Hello!" Rory answered her phone, rotating her shoulder a few times. She was going to be sore tomorrow.

"Ah, hey kiddo, I thought I'd be talking to your voicemail again," Christopher's tone was only partly teasing, and Rory cringed slightly. He had every right to feel put off - he had been.

"Sorry, was saying goodbye to a friend, so I didn't get to pick it up immediately. It has been awhile, hasn't it?"

"Yeah. I can't blame you, though, and... I have no right to be annoyed considering this is a belated birthday call."

Rory rolled her eyes, "Not the first belated one I've gotten from you, so there's no harm."

She heard her father take a deep breath, "I'm sorry about that. And for this one, too. I may have a slightly better excuse for this one, though." He stopped, clearing hoping she'd ask, but when Rory didn't press for details, he continued unprompted, "My mom and I took GG to France, and GG accidentally dropped my phone in the Seine while she was trying to take a picture."

"Oh, no."

"Oh, yes. I replaced it as soon as we got home yesterday, but it took me awhile to figure out how to get all my contacts synced back up. I think your mom's the only one who still memorizes phone numbers anymore. So, I'm really sorry about that. How was your birthday? Get anything fun?"

"New luggage from my grandparents."

"Uh oh, not covered in Louis Vuitton logos, I hope?"

"No, thank goodness," Rory chuckled, "Surprisingly utilitarian, but clearly still expensive given the quality. Should last me a good, long time even with as hard as I am on my bags. Mom and Luke got me a new laptop," Rory bit her lip at the slight intake on the other end of the phone, realizing he hadn't known they were back together. She knew her parents hadn't been in contact since her graduation, and although they'd parted on friendly terms, she generally tried to avoid mentioning either parent when talking to the other, especially after what had happened the last time she was home. Both had suffered enough, and throwing Luke in her father's face that way would just be cruel.

"Your mom and Luke, huh?"

"Um, yeah. Anyway, it's a really nice laptop. April picked it out. The keys glow which is pretty neat when I'm working at night."

"I bet. When did that happen?"

"Mom had it shipped to Mia's. I spent my birthday with her since I was in the area."

"Uh, no, I mean, I'm glad you have a new laptop, I uh... didn't realize your mom had gotten back with Luke."

Rory could hear him trying to downplay his reaction, and grimaced.

"Dad... it was kind of inevitable, wasn't it? I mean, you knew she wasn't over him, back when... um... you two were together."

"Yeah, I just thought... with everything that happened..." Chris sighed, "I'll never not love her, you know? She deserves better than anything he or I could offer her. She deserved more than either of us ever gave her."

"You know, I've heard that a lot throughout my own life, and I think it's not a matter of deserving, it's a matter of what you need and how you feel, and who can fulfill both of those things," Rory glanced down at a heart with initials carved into the bench next to her and wondered how that couple had fared. "Things are very different with Mom and Luke this time."

"That's good. I hope she's happy."

"I think it's a fair bet she's pretty happy. She's... they're... I'm taking a few days off for their wedding in a week." Rory took a deep breath when she heard nothing but silence on the other end of the phone. "Dad, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to even mention Luke in the first place, but I figured if we're doing this..."

"No, I'm glad you told me... just a little shocking on my end. I'm glad she's happy and things seem to be working out. I don't suppose you'll have any extra free time around then. Maybe stop by after they head off to their honeymoon?"

"Actually, they're waiting on that so they can spend more time with Luke's daughter and me. But I can probably squeeze in a meal or something. Did GG stay in France?"

"No, she's still not ready for that yet. I think we'll give it at least another year before she we try that. Sherry and Remi came back with us, instead."

"That's really good to hear, Dad," Rory said proudly. "Remi, huh? That's the new boyfriend?"

"That's the new boyfriend," he sighed. "And if you think the names are cutesy, you should see them together. It's a bit... much."

Rory smirked, "You need to find yourself a Christina and outdo 'em."

"Yeah, right," Chris laughed, "I think I'm swearing off women for awhile. It's good to talk to you. I'd hand you to your sister, but she's out shopping with the sappy couple. I have your birthday present here. If you end up being too busy to do dinner or something, let me know and I can ship it to your mom's."

"I'll let you know. But I think I can make it. Thanks for calling. Belated's better than not at all."

"You're welcome. I really would've called from France, you know? I'm trying, Rory, I am."

"I appreciate it," Rory smiled. "I'm gonna head back to my hotel before the sun sets. Talk to you again soon?"

"You bet. Bye, Rory."

As Rory walked back to the hotel, she let out a huge sigh of relief. It was the first time she'd talked to her dad in several weeks and the least awkward conversation they'd had since she'd yelled at him for being a horrible father. She was relieved to feel things normalizing between them again. Things hadn't been good between them in awhile.

As odd as it sounded, having her parents married made her relationships with both of them completely awkward. Her father had never really adjusted to the fact that there were things Rory shared with her mom that he wasn't meant to be privy to, and having him so fully in her life had felt strange, intrusive. Much as it had always been, he was there for her mother, not for her, the end result of which was Rory feeling like her father was a step-father she couldn't quite connect with.

Her parents were each better apart, and Rory smiled to herself as she realized things were finally getting to where they should have been all along.

* * *

"Thirds?" Richard rubbed his chin. His gaze drifted over to his wife and her eager expression. He handed Luke the paper he'd printed out. It included what the Gilmores had paid, and what the totals would be split between the Gilmores and Lorelai's inheritance.

Luke looked over it and mentally did the math, splitting it into thirds; it was still well under the number he'd had in mind for he and Lorelai to spend on a house. He knew from experience that he'd easily qualify for a loan for that amount, and it would keep their monthly payments lower than what Lorelai paid on her current mortgage. Or, if they sold her house, it would more than cover the cost.

Lorelai bit her lip as she finished sorting through the numbers. She couldn't help but consider that they'd be able to keep her house if they wanted to. And if Rory ever needed a place to stay long-term, she wouldn't actually have to rent, she could stay there. Of course, renting it out to strangers in the meantime wasn't really something she liked the idea of, and leaving it empty seemed sad. It was something she and Luke would have to talk over later. In the meantime... she looked up and made eye contact with Luke. She could see him fighting back a smile and knew he was sold.

"Thirds," Lorelai nodded in confirmation.

Luke folded the paper and set it back on the table. "We can stop by the bank on Monday and finalize our end of things."

"I can have the final paperwork drawn up to transfer the house to you two on Monday as well. I'll see if we can have it expedited." Richard smiled, knowing full well it was simply a matter of picking up the papers that had been ready to go since shortly after their brunch with Luke and Lorelai the previous weekend.

Lorelai was quiet on the drive home, and looked up in surprise when Luke stopped in front of the dark diner.

"What...?"

"I told Cesar to stash a boysenberry pie for you before I left."

"Ensuring that tip, huh?" Lorelai smirked as Luke hopped out of the truck and laughed as he wagged his eyebrows at her. She watched him through the window as he boxed the pie up, and grabbed a paper from under the register.

"What's this?" she asked, holding up the folded paper sitting on top of the pie box as he placed both on her lap.

"I couldn't get that damn cafe idea out of my head all day. Those are dumb looking scribbles of what I could see it looking like."

Lorelai cocked her head as she looked at the paper in her lap, "That's a lot more work than I would've expected. Blowing out the wall between the hallway and the apartment?"

"I think that would be inevitable. Make the two places a little more... cohesive."

"Makes sense," she agreed, "Uh, when would you-"

"Not until next year. _IF_ I decide I want to do this. Just was kinda fun to play with the idea a little. Nice distraction from the house stuff which was making me nuts."

Lorelai nodded. As they pulled up the driveway of the house, she turned to Luke before he had the chance to exit the truck. "I know we were both playing number games back at my parents' - how much of your math involved selling this place?"

"Uh, I think there's a few different ways we can go with that. I'm not going to make an executive decision about what's really your and Rory's house."

"I appreciate that," she took a deep breath, "It's dumb, but it's still so hard to think about selling it."

"Well, we have plenty of time to talk that over." Luke noticed the worried look on her face as she gazed at her house, "Lorelai, we have the wedding to think about for now. The house, the apartment... don't think about the logistics. We can talk over the numbers tomorrow, but like you said, we can't even think about moving until after the wedding. Probably not even after the honeymoon, and then there's Christmas-"

"I told Rory it was stupid to think about us not spending Christmas here. Not so stupid now," Lorelai bit her lip. "I feel awful."

"Stop." Luke opened his door and stepped out. "I want to go over what we have left to do this week for the wedding, I want you to enjoy your pie, and I don't want to talk about the house anymore tonight."

After taking Paul Anka on a walk, Lorelai started her coffee and sliced a large piece of pie while Luke changed upstairs. She heard her phone ding in her purse and pulled it out to see yet another text from Rory.

 _any house news?_

She bit her lip as she stared at the display. It wasn't a conversation for texting, and she really wasn't in the mood to keep hashing out her conflicted feelings. "Sorry, kid," Lorelai muttered as she typed out a reply.

 _call me tomorrow. we'll talk._

She slid the phone back into her purse and carried her piece of pie and a cup of coffee into the living room to find Luke sitting on the couch in sweats and a t-shirt, his feet resting on the coffee table. He looked up as she entered and frowned at the expression on her face.

"Rory's-" Lorelai paused as she heard her phone ringing in the other room and rolled her eyes. "I told her to call tomorrow. Apparently, tomorrow is today," she sighed and set her plate and mug on the coffee table.

Luke grimaced as he watched her walk back to the kitchen to grab her phone. He knew Rory deserved to be kept in the loop, but he hated that he, Lorelai, or Rory had to think about this at all. Rory should be focusing on work, while the wedding should be his and Lorelai's only concern for the next week. He wished it all could've waited until after they were married.

"I don't know yet," he heard Lorelai speak into the phone as she walked back into the living room. "Rory, the only conversation Luke and I have even had was how to handle the money side of things. I don't want instructions on boxing up your room," she rolled her eyes as she sat next to him on the couch.

"Okay, okay!" Rory replied, "I'm just saying, don't worry about the books. I'll reorganize them in the library after the move anyway."

"I got it. Tell me that again when it's actually relevant," Lorelai took a deep, cleansing breath. "Now, since you called, what's the shoe situation for the wedding? Are you picking some up on the road, or should we squeeze in some shopping time?"

"Um, there's a pair that Grandma got me somewhere in my closet that I think will go really well with my dress," Rory replied, finally giving up on getting anywhere further with house discussions. "I'll let you get to your wedding rundown with Luke, I guess. You _promise_ you'll call me when there's more to talk about with the house?"

"You _know_ I will."

After Rory ended the call, Lorelai snapped her phone shut and flopped her head backwards with a groan. "You know, there were a few times in my life that were really boring. Nothing crazy happened, no major changes, and certainly not ten at once. It wasn't so bad."

"There were also worse times," Luke shrugged, thinking back to the previous year.

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed with a sigh and reached for the wedding notebook sitting on the coffee table. "So, what'd you think of the samples from the caterer I left you?"

"They were good."

"Luke, you were supposed to decide on three."

"Uh," Luke rubbed his chin, trying to think back to the food he'd sampled over lunch. "I thought the potatoes were a little bland. I liked the salad, I think the lemon dressing was the best, but we should probably offer a few standard alternatives just in case. Sorry, that's really all I remember standing out. The rest was really good."

Lorelai nodded, scratching the potatoes off the list. "That helps a little, at least. I'll talk to Sookie tomorrow and see what she thought. I didn't have a particularly strong opinion about any of it, either. And Sookie nixed the idea of kids meals for Martha and Davey. Unsurprisingly, they have a more refined palette than I do."

Luke laughed and leaned over to get a better view of the contents of the folder. He noticed Lorelai's list was in some odd version of shorthand and asked, "What's left? What are ram dresses?"

Lorelai moved her finger as she addressed each remaining thing on her list. "Rory, April and Martha's dresses. I'll have to wait for Rory and April to get here for their final fittings, so I'll finish Martha's tomorrow, which is why the M is underlined. Catering's pretty much done as soon as I talk to Sookie, the flowers are ready to go, everything I had Gabby order that we didn't already have is ready to go. My mother's insisting on handling linens and I gave up on that argument and handed the phone to Gabby. All I did was approve the cost. What's up with the tuxes?"

"Your dad's squared away. Jess had a tailor in Philly call our tailor with his sizes and he'll have his final fitting when he gets here."

"Which is?" Lorelai flipped to a calendar page in her notebook, pen poised.

"The eighteenth. He's staying with Liz and TJ, despite my offer to throw an air mattress in the apartment above the diner."

Lorelai snickered, "You know your choice of air mattress is bad if he prefers TJ over that."

"I offered to buy a new one," Luke laughed in spite of himself. "Liz put an extra twin bed in Doula's room and she's anxious to have both her kids under one roof. I think she guilted Jess into it. Anyway, the men are good to go. What's next?"

Lorelai nodded as she noted Jess's arrival date, "I'm doing my own hair, Justine offered to do makeup, you were cool with the photographer we use at the inn and so am I, so I spent all of ten minutes worrying about that. The bartender was another Emily and Gabby situation because I suggested a cash bar and my mother said it was tacky. I told her drinks were on her if she couldn't deal with that. I was being sarcastic, but she called Gabby to let _her_ know she was paying for an open bar, and Gabby let _me_ know. As long as I'm not paying for it, Emily Gilmore can do what she wants."

"Really." Luke raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Yep. See? I am perfectly agreeable. At least where alcohol is concerned. You have the wedding bands?"

"Paid for and picking them up on Wednesday. What's this about Zack?" Luke pointed to one of the last items on the list.

"Acoustic guitar for the ceremony. He got back last week and offered, so I didn't bother looking elsewhere. We've got DJ Lane handling the the first half of the reception as you requested, and Kirk-"

"No," Luke gaped at Lorelai, "Were you drunk when you decided that?"

"Luke, he'd be devastated if he wasn't involved in some way. You had him do Rory's going away party, he was fine at Liz and TJ's wedding. I'd rather keep him busy than risk him, I don't know, getting bored and snooping through the honeymoon suite, and us stumbling upon him as I'm drunkenly stripping you."

"You wouldn't notice him before drunkenly stripping me?" Luke guffawed.

"Drunk, remember? Besides, you know I'll have you half dressed before we even get the door open."

"Yeah, sure," he shook his head in amusement. "What else?"

"Nothing I care about. Anything I haven't mentioned is what I pay Gabby for."

"What about your dress?"

"Please, that was done before I'd even started on Rory's. I just have to decide which shrug I like best and return the other, which I may wait till the girls are here for."

"Then why was it sitting out?" Luke recalled having seen the massive bag sitting on their bed on a few occasions.

"Just making sure all the stress eating hasn't changed the fit," Lorelai grinned as she lifted a piece of pie to her mouth.

"And by stress eating, you mean the same things I've seen you eat for the last ten years, right?"

Lorelai shrugged, "Good excuse as any." She put the empty plate on the coffee table, "Anything else?"

Luke shook his head and slid the folder over to his own lap, flipping through it curiously. He smiled at the meticulous note-taking done between Gabby and Lorelai, and ran his finger over a swatch of eggplant fabric stapled next to a description of the tuxes and notes about each of the bridesmaid dresses.

"It's not weird I'm having April as a groomsman, is it?"

"I think it's sweet," Lorelai leaned her head on his shoulder, looking down at the page he'd stopped on. "It evens up our sides, and saves you from having to ask Jackson or TJ or one of the guys you only hang out with a few times a year. And that way both our daughters are up there with us. If Rory was a boy, I'd want my son on my side."

Luke nodded and continued his journey through the binder, smirking as he came across a few random doodles made by Lorelai - a few hearts here and there, some with September eighth doodled in them, others with October twentieth. And much like a teenager would scribble on their high school folder, Lorelai Victoria Danes was elaborately written in cursive in more than one margin.

"You're sappy," he teased as he shut the binder and slid it onto the coffee table.

"This is just hitting you now?" Lorelai sat up.

"Oh, I've known. I forget just how sappy you can get."

"Well, then, I'm doing something _very_ wrong," she grinned as she stood, tugging on his hand as she nodded toward the stairs. "Come on, let's go up so I can remind you."

"It's early."

"I'm gonna need awhile. You saved me a whole pie, loverboy. If you thought you deserved a tip before..."

* * *

 _Author's Notes: Think they're ready? I hope so, 'cause the next few chapters have all the wedding-related sap you can shake a stick at. Make an appointment with your dentist now, chapters 29-31 may be cavity inducing... ;)_


	29. Reunions and Rehearsals

**Chapter 29: Reunions and Rehearsals**

Rory flopped onto her bed with a happy sigh and stretched out, snuggling her face into her pillow. She frowned when she heard a laugh from the doorway.

"Should I leave you alone?"

"Don't judge me. You don't know what it's like never knowing how horrible your next bed is going to be," Rory rolled over onto her back and glared at her mother.

"True. I beg your pardon," Lorelai smirked, leaning into the doorframe.

Rory smiled up at her and patted the spot next to her on the bed. Lorelai plopped down and Rory grabbed her mother's left hand, finally able to get a good view of Lorelai's engagement ring in person.

"Nice, huh?"

"Really nice. So what's on the agenda, oh Bride-to-be?"

"Well, it's just you and me for a few hours. Groom-to-be is with Jess getting their final fittings done at the tux shop. I figured we could talk a bit, get your dress finished up, and take it easy. Things get crazy tomorrow, so might also be a good idea to uh, y'know, break the ice with Jess… we're meeting them for dinner tonight," Lorelai eyed Rory knowingly.

It was one of the biggest worries Luke had expressed over the last few days. Lorelai had merely hinted at potential awkwardness between the two, and Luke had immediately leapt into overprotective mode, asking what Jess had done to make it weird. She'd had to explain Jess was, in fact, not to blame, and if he wanted further details, he'd have to ask Jess or Rory, himself. Luke opted to remain ignorant, and suggested Lorelai might try to encourage Rory to do whatever needed to be done to smooth things over before the wedding.

"We've emailed a few times. I knew there were plans for tonight. Don't worry," Rory patted her mother's hand, "Jess and I are cool. The question is, how are _you_ and Jess?"

"I don't know, I haven't seen him yet," Lorelai wrinkled her nose, "Not that he'd be able to, but you don't think he wants to try to talk Luke out of it, do you?"

"Please, if he felt that way, you know he wouldn't have said yes to being the best man," Rory sat up. "Actually, I have it on good authority that he told Luke in no uncertain terms not to screw it up this time. That's the PG version, anyway. It was more strongly worded to Luke."

"Really," Lorelai raised her eyebrows. "Never thought Jess would be Team Lorelai."

"He's not. Jess is strictly Team 'Oh My God Would Those Two Get The Show On The Road Already'."

"Ah. Well. Team Lorelai also happens to be on that team, so I guess we should be okay."

Rory grinned wryly, "Yeah, well, expect that you might hear some kind of lecture or something from him tomorrow, but it comes from a good place. I think I'm supposed to give Luke a similar speech."

"About?"

"You know, the typical warning. The 'hurt my respective subject of this partnership that badly again and I'll send assassins your way' speech."

"Ah," Lorelai grimaced. If such a speech was necessary at this point, she and Luke had no business getting married. "You're not really going to-"

"Just one final one, we've had similar talks already," Rory patted her mother's leg, "But I wouldn't be surprised if Jess doesn't go easy on you. I think Luke's the only adult he ever had any ounce of respect for."

"Well, that's not hard to guess at." Lorelai looked worriedly at her daughter, "You honestly don't think we'd screw this up again, do you?"

"Nah," Rory squeezed Lorelai's hand, "You've done enough of that."

"Don't I know it. So. My kid's been on the road, and the last big talk we had, she told me she was... what word was it you used?"

"Sullen. But if we're going to get into this, I need coffee first."

Properly situated in the living room with coffee, Lorelai watched as Rory took a slow sip from her mug, and a long, deep breath.

Rory knew the conversation was coming, and while it would be a relief to finally talk to someone about Arizona and Brett, it was also unnerving.

"Okay," Rory readied herself to finally talk about the event she'd been carrying around for far too long. "I, um, hooked up with someone. Not someone on the press corps, not someone even remotely connected to the campaign."

Lorelai bit her lip and took a deep breath of her own, "Okay. And it was..."

"Um. It was. What... it was. I guess. It didn't have the intended result, I should say."

Lorelai rolled her eyes, "Rory, you're going to have to give me more than this if you want to talk about it. If it's too-"

"No, it's not. I've just been holding onto this for almost a month and it's the first time I've talked about it, and it's... heavy." Rory closed her eyes and thought back to that night in September, letting herself revisit all the thoughts and emotions she'd shoved to the back of her mind.

As Brett's eyes blinked open and met hers, and he recalled the previous night, a slight, nervous smile had formed on his face. Rory could immediately tell that he, too, was unaccustomed to waking up with someone he'd only just met. They'd shared more than just sex and a bed. There had been a connection there. And if Rory had been in any other place in her life, she would have smiled back, and started discussing what might lie in store for them.

Instead, unsure how to handle the tumultuous feelings inside her, and the unguarded expression on Brett's face, she'd given him an awkward look and quickly leapt out of bed, muttering something about not wanting to be late for the bus and him having class to get to. She heard him call her name as she shut the door to the bathroom, but ignored it. She knew full well he was aware she'd heard him before the door clicked shut, but she didn't let herself think about it.

Rory had taken her time in the bathroom. After a lengthy inspection of her pores, her teeth, and taking one of the longest showers she'd ever taken in her life, she found the resolve to open the door separating her from her one night stand.

She thought she'd be relieved when she found the room empty, but a small part of her felt sad and disappointed, feelings she quickly scolded herself for having. She noticed a note on several sheets of hotel stationary sitting on the desk, but ignored it as she began to pack. Once she was finished, far earlier than necessary, she dragged her luggage over to the desk and reached out to open the folded papers.

She knew she couldn't read it. If she read it, she'd feel more than she already did for the gentle, caring boy she'd poured her heart out to the previous night. And if she cared more for him than she already did, she wouldn't be able to accomplish her next task. And so, Rory skimmed through the words Brett had written, not allowing herself to register them as anything other than a jumble of random letters, and shut her eyes as she saw an address, email address, and two phone numbers at the bottom of the letter.

Her breath unsteady, Rory crumpled the papers in her hand and tossed them into the wastebasket near the desk as she walked out of the room. She didn't need to read the letter to know what was in it. Knowing she could have written it, herself, she understood how Brett felt writing it, and how awful he'd feel as he waited for some form of contact from her that would never come.

She pushed against the pain in her chest, reminding herself she'd only known Brett for a few hours, and that he'd get over it. Having April as a distraction a few days later had been her first step out of the dense fog of guilt that had been eating at her.

As Rory recounted the night and morning, she was relieved at the lack of judgement in her mother's face. Her expression was sympathetic, and after Rory finished unloading, she nearly cried with relief when she found herself pulled tightly into her mother's arms.

"I'm being such a child about this," Rory mumbled into Lorelai's neck.

"No, honey, you're human. And you're just not the one night stand kinda girl, I don't think."

"Yeah, I think I've realized that," Rory breathed as she sat back. "I feel so bad, though. Did I do the wrong thing? I didn't even take a long enough look at the letter to even try to commit any of it to memory."

"That's not for me to judge," Lorelai reached out and tugged a strand of Rory's hair. "Was what I did to Max years ago the wrong thing?"

"It wasn't... nice... but in the long run... I don't know. I guess, like you said, it's not really for me to judge," Rory smiled a little, "I will say that I'm glad you figured out you loved the idea of Max more than the man himself before you did marry him."

"Yeah. I wish I'd made myself stop and think a little before I did that with your dad."

"Hey, this is my afternoon of regrets. You're absolved. You're getting married in two days. I just need to find myself a Luke, I guess."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and shook her head, "No, because you'd need to be me, and I don't want you to go through the hell I went through to get here. Be Rory and find yourself a... whatever it is a Rory is supposed to have."

"I don't know what a Rory's supposed to have," Rory looked down sadly. "In every relationship I've had, I thought that was it, that it was me and Dean, or me and Jess. And with those two, I know that was because I was young. But then, with Logan, I really thought... I mean, I know that weekend at the Vineyard last February was awful for you, but for me, until Mitchum showed up, I really felt like it was the first of many of those types of weekends with the four of us. In the long run, it turned out that Logan and I really wanted different things in life, and that factored into what we wanted in our relationship, too. I can't imagine having to constantly go through that. I just want to... to know."

"I desperately wish it were that simple, I really do. For both our sakes."

"Luke knew," Rory looked back up. "Luke and his horoscope."

"Ah, I'm not sure that counts as knowing, especially considering all he knew of me the day I gave it to him was that I was a stubborn coffee addict to an extreme degree." Lorelai glanced down at her ring for a moment, speaking her thoughts, "You know, I don't think Luke even truly knew we were going to work out until we got back together this time. We were both so worried about ruining it, or it falling apart... we never had the assurance we have now. Having to sort through everything that went wrong, the communication issues, the insecurities, the fears, the distrust..."

"But you did work through it."

"And it wasn't easy. That first night we finally talked after you left, and several other times after that? Having to dig through a lot of what we did wrong the first two times sucked," Lorelai reached out and tipped Rory's chin up rubbing her thumb across her daughter's cheek. "We just got extremely lucky that we did have this chance, and that all the things we did wrong before helped us figure out what to do right this time. I hope you never have to go through that."

Rory nodded, "Does he still have the horoscope, after everything that happened?"

Lorelai bit her lip as tears pricked her eyes, causing her to blink rapidly, "It's a good metaphor for our hearts, I guess. He still has it. It's got a nice tear down the middle, but it's taped back together." As Rory regarded her sadly, Lorelai smiled a little, "It's one of many things we get to carry around as reminders of what we did to each other."

"Damn," Rory whispered.

They jumped as the front door shut loudly in the quietness of the room, and Lorelai smiled gratefully as Luke walked in, his presence giving them a much needed break from the heavy conversation.

"Hey," Luke frowned as he noticed the expression on Lorelai's face. "Uh, are you two... should I...?"

Lorelai held her hand out over the back of the couch, and tugged the front of his shirt as he approached. She pulled him down and pressed her lips to his softly, holding him there a little longer than she normally would've with Rory sitting across from her. Luke pulled back slowly, still a little confused about what he'd just walked into.

"You two okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Lorelai smiled reassuringly. "How's the tuxes... and Jess?"

Luke lifted the garment bag slung over his shoulder, "Tuxes are good to go. Jess looked better than me in his, though."

"Well, that I doubt," Lorelai winked, then glanced at the door as she heard a knock, "Uh, did Jess follow you over?"

"No, he said he was gonna bum around the town for awhile. Not sure who that is," Luke turned back to the entryway and opened the door.

"Is she here?" Lane asked excitedly, "Am I interrupting anything? I just-"

"Come on in," Luke chuckled, moving out of the way as Lane and Rory ran toward each other. He glanced over at Lorelai and raised the garment bag one last time, "I'm gonna run this upstairs so it's ready to go on Saturday."

"I still haven't gotten Rory upstairs to finish her dress," Lorelai cringed slightly.

"Plenty of time, not much left to do today, just make sure it's ready before tomorrow." Luke glanced over his shoulder as Rory and Lane walked into Rory's room, "Is everything really okay with you two?"

"Yeah, we're good. I'll tell you more later. You heading back to the diner?"

"Just until Aimee gets in. There anything left you need me to do?"

Lorelai ran through the to-do list in her head. It was surprisingly short for a wedding that was planned in a month and was a mere two days away. "Oddly enough, there's barely enough left for me to do. We're mostly at the hurry up and wait stage, here."

Luke nodded as he carried the garment bag up the stairs. Lorelai stood and walked over to Rory's room, laughing as Rory handed Lane two baby-sized Obama campaign t-shirts.

"Zack's going to flip over these!" Lane cackled.

"So's your mom, in a completely different direction," Rory grinned.

"Oh, we keep the Mrs. Kim outfits separate from the normal clothes now. Zack brought home a ton of baby and kid sized vintage band t-shirts he collected while on tour, it's great, but my mom would freak."

"Speaking of clothing, I need to work on Rory's dress. Lane, you can come up and join us unless you need to get home to the boys," Lorelai offered.

"Please, Zack owes me and he knows it. Besides, they've got their whole male bonding thing going on right now," Lane stood and she and Rory followed Lorelai out of the room. "I can't wait to see the dresses."

As Luke walked toward the front door, Lorelai grabbed his wrist to stop him and nodded to the girls, "Head on up, Rory get changed and into the dress, it's the one with the big 'Rory' tag on the hanger draped over the chair in my room. I'll be there in a minute."

Luke cocked his head as Lorelai waited for her bedroom door to close behind Rory.

"Hey, so Rory assures me there's no bad blood between her and Jess," Lorelai said quietly. "They've emailed a few times, so dinner tonight shouldn't be as awkward as we were expecting."

"Jess said the same," Luke nodded. "And he promised he's not still pining for her. He's seeing someone back home."

"Good. Then we'll meet you at the diner around six?"

"Perfect," he gave her a quick kiss and left.

* * *

As Lorelai sat behind her sewing machine, she half-listened to the conversation between Rory and Lane coming from the bedroom. If she closed her eyes, she could pretend they were kids again. Before boys and babies and tour buses. Lorelai sat back to check her work on Rory's dress, and tuned back into the girls' chatter.

"It's just good Zack didn't pick up another tour. Aside from the fact that the boys are growing like weeds, there's no way I'd want to deal with this move on my own. Especially since my mother would be way too over-involved."

"She probably will be anyway," Rory warned.

"Yeah, but it'd be worse without Zack around."

"You're moving?" Lorelai frowned as she walked into the room, ready to work on the hand-stitched parts of Rory's dress.

"Yeah. Our landlord wants us out by the end of the year. In a way, it was kind of the final push we needed. We've more than outgrown that apartment, and the boys should have their own room."

Lorelai sat on the bed and nodded, "Have you started looking yet?"

"Brian gave us a few locations to check out next week. We have a tight budget, though. Zack wants to start putting away money to buy a place, so we don't want too much going toward rent. And did you know Kirk owns an apartment building?"

"He what?!" Rory laughed, "Did Kirk finally move out of his mom's house?"

"No!" Lorelai dropped her work onto her lap and laughed, "Why doesn't he rent one of his apartments to himself, then?"

"No clue!" Lane replied, "They're nice, too. They're in our price range, but we're not really sure how we feel about having Kirk as a landlord. I'm sure he does all his own repairs, and I know for a fact he sucks as a repairman. Luke overheard Brian, Zack and I talking about a leaky pipe under the sink last year and ended up fixing the shoddy work Kirk had been paid to do. And of course you can't pay Luke for stuff like that, he just gets mad when you offer."

Lorelai smiled at that, unable to count how many leaky pipes Luke had fixed for free over the years. She glanced over at Rory who returned a knowing grin.

After another hour of talking and sewing, Lorelai glanced at the time and cringed, "Sorry to break it up, but we've got dinner plans with Luke and Jess at the diner."

"And I've got dinner plans with my mother. I can't believe it's already six. If I don't catch you two tomorrow, I'll see you on Saturday at the wedding," Lane stood and gave Lorelai a tight hug, "One that I'm so, _so_ glad you were wrong about at my wedding."

Lorelai grimaced at the memory as the three of them walked downstairs, "Only partly wrong. Different wedding. And remind Zack, you two are welcome to join us for dinner tomorrow night. He doesn't have to shove off after the rehearsal."

"Aw, I appreciate it, but we're actually having a little band reunion at Gil's once Zack's done. Bye, ladies!" Lane waved as she left the house.

"You want to change? Freshen up a little?" Lorelai asked as Rory grabbed her purse from her room.

"Nah, I'm too starved to be vain," Rory replied, hurrying out the front door. Halfway to Luke's, Rory stopped and tugged on her mother's elbow.

"What?"

"Are you and Luke selling the house?" Rory asked curiously.

"Uh, we're not talking about anything related to the house until after the wedding," Lorelai answered, "Kinda got my hands full the next few days, the last thing-"

"You should keep it."

Lorelai blinked at Rory's declaration. It was out of the blue and Rory had clearly decided not to adhere to the "not till after the wedding" rule.

"Okay," Lorelai began slowly, wondering where this might be coming from as she spoke. "I will certainly take that into account. It's not like I wasn't having a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea of selling. Wait. You want us to rent it to Lane, don't you."

Rory shrugged a little self-consciously, "Well, it would be someone you knew. And they'd be there long-term. I know it's between you and Luke in the end, but-"

"No, it's a joint decision among you, Luke, and I. I've told you before, he understands it was our place first, Rory. In the same way you understand this involves him as well." Lorelai bit her lip in thought and she tugged on Rory's arm, continuing their walk. "Let me think about it a little more. It makes really good sense to sell the place-"

"I know. But if you're having a hard time just thinking of selling it... "

"Yeah," Lorelai took a deep breath, "Would they even want to rent it, though?"

"Rent a house she practically grew up in, that was her biggest refuge from the craziness of the Kim household, with a detached garage they can hold band practices in again? Mom, come on."

"True. I'll think about it and talk to Luke, see what he thinks. Of all the possible options, this, I assume, is the one you'd be most okay with? Because it would probably mean moving before Christmas or spending Christmas among a bunch of packed boxes… I'm not sure which is more depressing."

"Or you can look at it as spending Christmas in the new house, which means buying and making more Christmas decorations," Rory wagged her eyebrows.

Lorelai laughed, "Okay, stop trying to sell me on it. We're not even supposed to be talking about houses until Sunday at the earliest," she stopped Rory before opening the door to Luke's, "So ix-nay on the ouse-hay alk-tay for now, mmkay?"

Rory nodded, following her mother into Luke's. She smiled fondly as she noticed Jess, immediately glad she'd reached out to him via email. She apologized in a lengthy message for trying to use him to get back at Logan. He'd replied, in a tone she could hear so clearly in her head, "don't worry about it, cuz. see you at the wedding." They'd exchanged a few more emails and texts after that, mostly discussing her mother and his uncle, and that had been it.

"Hey, Dodger," Rory smirked as she walked toward the table he sat at. Jess sat the book he was reading behind him on one of Luke's shelves and gave her one of his typical half-smiles. Gone was the black leather jacket and "too cool to care" overgrown hair. In place was a groomed business owner, wearing a navy sweater and a nice pair of jeans. "Glad the face hasn't changed much, I wouldn't have recognized you otherwise."

"Luke already beat you to the mocking," Jess rolled his eyes, and looked past her at Lorelai. Things had always been a little tense between the two of them. It had taken them both awhile to understand they had one very important thing in common: an overprotective streak a mile long when it came to Rory and Luke. He nodded at his uncle's soon to be wife, "Always running into you at weddings, it seems."

"Your uncle keeps dragging me to 'em, what can I do?" Lorelai shrugged with a grin, and walked to the counter to give Rory and Jess a chance to talk without an audience.

Rory sat down across from her ex-boyfriend, "So, I didn't see Taylor on the way over here, did you give him a heart attack?"

"I tried. He just glared at me and stared until I finished walking past Doose's. I thought he mostly worked next door these days, I was hoping to barter. A scoundrel-free weekend in exchange for free ice cream."

"Free ice cream? From Taylor? You've been gone too long."

"Not my fault, I was supposed to be here last year for this thing. Didn't expect my uncle would go blind, and your mom would go mute."

"I hear that," Rory chuckled, nodding in agreement.

Jess watched Luke and Lorelai talking quietly behind the counter and shook his head with a wry grin, "You weren't kidding, they do ooze all over each other."

"You realize it just gets worse from here on out. Tomorrow at the rehearsal, Saturday at the wedding, next year at baby's first Christmas," Rory laughed at the shocked look on Jess's face. "In the plans, not currently… in existence."

"Geez, don't do that to me. I'm still adjusting to Doula," Jess covered his heart with his hand, "Well, if the ooze ever dries up, and they act stupid again, call me in for reinforcements. It sucked having to hear about everything after the fact."

"I will. I think we're good though," Rory smiled and turned around to look behind her. She caught sight of flirting in the form of a mock argument between the soon to be wedded couple and held up a fork, "Hey, can we get some service over here?"

Luke rolled his eyes and refilled Lorelai's mug, then filled two mugs for Jess and Rory and walked with Lorelai to the table. Two hours later, the four were still sitting in the same places. The energy had started off slightly awkward, as they acclimated themselves to the unfamiliar grouping. As the night moved forward, so did their comfort levels among each other, and it wasn't long before each began recounting memories from the past. Stories that were far from funny at the time, were retold in a new light, giving even Luke several loud, hearty laughs.

Lorelai tapped her hand where it had been resting on Luke's leg, "We should probably get going. I need to finish up Rory's dress and I want to relax a little before things start to get crazy tomorrow."

Luke nodded in agreement, and after a few brief goodbyes and reminders about the next day's schedule, he and Lorelai walked to the truck. As Lorelai settled in next to him, he glanced over and watched her take a shaky breath.

"Getting nervous?"

"I just want it to be perfect," she glanced back at the diner as he started the truck, "At least that's a load off our shoulders."

"Yeah. And I'm glad Rory looks better than she did earlier. What happened this afternoon?"

"Rory broke a boy's heart somewhere out west, and left a piece of her own with him, I think."

"Ouch. She okay?"

"Yeah. Just needed to talk it out. She'll be all right," Lorelai glanced at Kim's Antiques as they drove past it and bit her lip, "Did you know Lane and Zack have to move by the end of the year?"

"I didn't. Though that explains why he was asking about the apartment above the diner when he stopped in for lunch with the twins earlier."

"What'd you tell him?" Lorelai asked curiously.

"Nothing. They need a bigger place than that anyway, with actual bedrooms and stuff. It was getting weird enough sharing it with April this spring."

"I bet. Um," she took a deep breath, "What would you think about renting out the house to them instead of selling it?"

"Huh," Luke thought about it. If there was any one person both he and Lorelai wouldn't mind living there, it would be Lane. "Did she ask you about it?"

"No, it was Rory's idea, oddly enough. Even though it would probably mean starting to move right after we get back from Hawaii. They have to be out by the end of the year, and unless we want to spend Christmas surrounded by chaos and boxes, we'd probably want to get it done pretty quickly."

Luke scratched his chin, "That's not a big deal as long as _you_ really stay on task."

"Hey, I've purged a lot over the last few years," Lorelai pouted. "It's just something to think about anyway. I know you don't want us stressing over it, but it came up, and I think its a viable option."

"I agree," Luke pulled up the driveway to the house and turned off the car. Despite agreements to avoid housing talk until after the wedding, he and Lorelai quickly found themselves huddled behind her computer comparing mortgage payments to current rental costs in the area, guessing at what might be within Zack and Lane's budget.

Back at the diner, Rory was rubbing her face as her cheeks were pained from laughing at Jess's retelling of the time the swan attacked him, finally having an explanation for the awful dinner they'd attempted with her grandmother.

"That swan is still there, so I'd avoid the lake until after the wedding unless you want my mom covering you with makeup for the photos."

"Good advice," Jess raised his water glass to her and took a sip. "So, forgive me for saying it, but I'm glad you turned down that snotty rich kid you were stuck on for so long."

"Jess," Rory frowned. "I know it sounds like I'm making excuses for him, but you really never got to see a good side of him. The one time you met him, he was going through a lot."

"If he was such a good guy, you wouldn't have been trying to cheat on him with me."

"You can't blame Logan for that, you have to put that on me."

Jess rolled his eyes, "Whatever, it's in the past. What finally broke you two up?"

Rory couldn't stop herself from smiling, "Well... he proposed."

"What a jerk," Jess teased.

"Well, it was selfish. It wasn't like I've ever been quiet about what I wanted. I couldn't exactly settle down in California while trying to plan a career that involved a bunch of travel. He didn't want a long distance relationship, but he knew even if I took a local job somewhere for a year or so, my end goal wouldn't be to stay there," Rory traced a random pattern on the top of the table in front of her. "In the end, his mom was right. I don't belong in that family. I want a career, and I think Logan wanted someone who would just follow his career around. That's not me."

After a few quiet moments, Jess spoke, "I'm sorry. That was a long relationship."

"Yeah. And I don't regret it. I grew from it, and it ended at the right time. And I wouldn't have wanted him to keep hoping I'd end up changing my mind," Rory finally smiled, "I'm good. It sucked at first, but you know, hearts heal, we move on..." She pointed her finger at him, "So, you mentioned someone earlier, but you didn't elaborate. Tell me about your girlfriend."

"She runs an organic-"

"Excuse me?" Rory laughed.

"Stop laughing!" Jess couldn't help himself and laughed along with her for a moment before continuing, "She has a small organic farm she runs with a few friends. It sounds insane, I know. They have a fruit and vegetable stand not far from Truncheon and we got to know each other last year when she saw me rereading The Aleph and started arguing with me about Borges."

"Always the rough starts with you," Rory shook her head. "And literary arguments from the get-go. Sounds like it might be serious." She gasped at his expression, "And he's blushing! It _is_ serious!"

"Shut up," Jess huffed as he stood and added a little extra cash to the substantial tip Luke had already left. "I like her."

"Well, duh," Rory smiled, and followed him out the door.

"Want me to drop you off at your mom's, uh, your mom and Luke's?"

"Nah, I can walk. You're cutting it pretty close to TJ's curfew, wouldn't want you to get locked out."

"I still can't believe he wouldn't give me a key. I'm giving Liz tonight, and then I'm taking Luke up on his offer of his shitty excuse for an air mattress and camping upstairs," Jess said as he walked to a black sedan. It wasn't anything new or flashy, but it was still an improvement from the ancient car he was still driving the last time she saw him.

"You upgraded!"

"The ol' piece of junk up and died on me in the middle of a road trip. It was time to move on. This one's not much, but it moves forward more than it shakes, which is a pretty impressive difference."

Rory nodded and gave him a thumbs up, "I think you and I were actually born when this car was made. I'll see you tomorrow. Don't be late to the rehearsal."

"If I am, I'll still get there before you and your mother," Jess smirked as he entered his car.

* * *

"Holy shit," Jess muttered as he stood with his arms crossed in the library of the Dragonfly.

"What, Thing One and Thing Two?" Lorelai asked as she walked past, gesturing to April and Rory as they filled in the stories that brief text messages had only touched on.

"Yeah. That worked out for you pretty well, I guess. No weird stepsister vibes there."

Lorelai stood next to Jess and watched the two girls for a moment before replying, "I didn't figure there would be. I didn't realize they'd connect as much as they have, but I knew they'd get along well enough the more I heard about her early on."

Jess saw a slight flash of pain in Lorelai's face at the memory of her and April's first encounter and subsequent lack of interaction. "If I was here, I would've held him to the fire," he said quietly. "If anyone would have told me what was going on... he was an idiot."

"We both were."

"Oh, I know. Rory's dad? I think hooking up with Taylor would've bothered Luke less."

Lorelai couldn't help but laugh, "You're probably right. But... don't ever say 'hooking up' and 'Taylor' in the same sentence again, especially when it involves me." Jess smirked and she could guess at his next sentence, so she continued, "Jess, this wedding wouldn't be happening if I wasn't absolutely certain I'd never hurt Luke so badly again. Or if I believed for a second he'd do the same to me. I hope you know that."

He nodded, "Yeah. We talked a lot while we were waiting for April's flight to get in. When did he start talking so much?"

"Wasn't me," Lorelai gestured to April, "Blame Thing Two over there. He'd changed a lot by the time we got back together. We both did, I guess."

"Huh," Jess nodded, smirking a little as he caught his uncle's warning glare from across the room.

"Okay!" Gabby announced from the doorway of the dining room. "Can I get all the members of the Danes wedding party out here? Your carts are here ready to take you out for the rehearsal!"

* * *

"Where'd you get this?" Rory gestured to the small bouquet of flowers Lorelai held as the carts drove them back to the inn after a brief and easy rehearsal ceremony.

"Luke, this morning," Lorelai smiled. "Since we didn't want a wedding shower, I didn't have the standard bouquet of bows to rehearse with."

"That's sweet," Rory tugged at a small piece of paper tied to one of the flowers with Luke's writing on it. "Second time, Love L," she read aloud. "What does that mean?"

"Second time in his life he's ever brought someone flowers."

"Didn't he bring you flowers the day the inn opened?"

"He did," Lorelai nodded, fingering a bright orange marigold.

"Wow, sappy," Rory shook her head with a slight grin.

"Talkin' about me?" Luke whispered into Lorelai's ear from behind her.

"She said you're sappy," Lorelai leaned her head against his. "I guess that's a shocking fact the day before your wedding."

"I'll try to tone it down."

"Don't you dare."

Luke smiled and kissed her cheek before sitting back. He looked over at Jess's raised eyebrow and glared.

As the small group of friends and family began to walk into the inn, Luke and Lorelai rushed over to grab Zack before he could walk to his car.

"Everything cool?" Zack asked suspiciously, looking at Lorelai's hand on his elbow.

"Very cool," Lorelai replied. "The coolest. I heard you and Lane were looking for a new place."

"Yeah, landlord's gonna renovate the place and sell it. It's too small for us now anyway, Steve and Kwan have kinda outgrown the living room. Nothing's caught our eye yet, but we're still looking. You hear of something we should check out?"

Luke pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Zack, "New rental property that just opened up last night."

"They're a little picky about tenants, but I think Lane might be able to find her way into their good graces," Lorelai added.

"Yeah, she's good at-" Zack's eyes widened as he looked over what seemed to be a printed rental listing. "Lorelai, are you serious? Luke? What is this?"

"We weren't sure what we were going to do with it," Lorelai glanced down at the paper she, Rory, and Luke had put together the previous night and printed out. "I don't want just anyone living there, and it breaks my heart to think of selling it to some stranger. Lane mentioned the move yesterday, and Rory, Luke, and I talked last night. Don't feel obligated, talk it over with Lane, but think about it, okay?"

Zack nodded, stunned to silence. "Yeah, uh, we'll... uh... tomorrow. I'll see you tomorrow and, we'll, uh, talk about this... Me and Lane. Tonight. About the house."

Lorelai nodded and chuckled as Zack turned to walk to his car in a daze, nearly dropping his guitar at one point as he continued staring at the paper.

Luke rubbed Lorelai's back as they walked back toward the inn. They paused just outside the entrance for a moment, watching through the window as Jess, April, and Rory entered a lively discussion over some unknown subject.

"I like that," Luke rested his hand on Lorelai's shoulder, "This. I like all of this."

Lorelai rested her hand on his. "Me too. This is how it should be. Everyone together, no separated families and worlds."

"Yep," Luke sighed contentedly and dragged his hand across her clavicle as he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her against him. He wrapped his other arm around her waist.

Lorelai leaned heavily back against Luke, and they both laughed as Rory cupped her hands over April's ears and glared at Jess. She let her gaze wander around the room, watching the various interactions, and caught her mother's reproachful eye as she did so. "We should probably get in there," she sighed.

"I'm hungry, anyway. Let's get this show on the road."

* * *

Later that night, Luke and Lorelai crawled into bed, happy and relaxed, feeling fully prepared for the following day.

After Lorelai leaned down to kiss Luke goodnight once more, she smiled at his sleepy face, running her hand across the stubble he intended to shave off in the morning despite her objections.

"Glad we didn't end up eloping last year?" she asked.

Luke frowned and opened his eyes. "Last chance to compare then and now. After the wedding tomorrow, we don't get to dwell on what-ifs or what-might-have-beens anymore. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Then to answer your question, yes. But, I will never forget that I should have stopped you, held onto you, and had all the conversations we waited over a year to have," he said, then thought for a moment, "But eloping would've been a mistake. After all this planning, and seeing everyone even just at the rehearsal, I think this is important. Having everyone here to be a part of it. You miss June third?"

"This is better than June third could have ever been," she smiled, her eyes filled with emotion.

He returned her smile and pulled her down for a final kiss goodnight before she curled up on his chest, falling asleep for the last time as Lorelai Gilmore, fiancée of Luke Danes.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: I wasn't planning on this, but it's been a very dark day here in the US; I've spent so much of today heartbroken and outraged. I will be editing and posting the next two chapters by tonight. I need to completely disconnect from reality for a bit, and I doubt I'm the only one. So if we're gonna hide in a fictional world, it might as well be Stars Hollow where two beloved characters are celebrating love._

 _Thanks for reading and dropping feedback in all its forms (here and across social media). 3_


	30. Structure

**Chapter 30: Structure**

"I'm not going to lose the rings, Luke," Jess grumbled in response to his uncle's third warning of the day.

"I thought I'm carrying the rings," Davey frowned. "Didn't you say I'm a ring bearer, Dad?"

"That's the title, but it's, uh..." Jackson scratched his head, uncertain how to explain the ceremonial title to his young son, "It's just a name. You need to hold your sister's hand and make sure she doesn't run around like she did at the rehearsal, remember?"

Davey pouted. Sister duty was his least favorite job. He glanced over at Luke with a pitiful expression and Luke shrugged apologetically, "Sisters can be annoying, sorry, Davey."

"At least yours doesn't drool," Jess chuckled.

"She used to," Davey replied seriously.

"And your brother does, we know," Jackson rolled his eyes, "Luke, you okay with that tie?"

Luke took a nervous breath and shook his hands out, "Yeah, I've got it." He turned back to the mirror and was finally able to tie it properly, adjusting it as he turned around.

"Haven't seen you this nervous since Liz's wedding," Jess observed and smirked at his uncle.

"Can it," Luke grumbled.

There was a knock on the door of the room, and Jackson opened it to reveal Richard standing with a basket in hand.

"Gentlemen, it is time for a toast!" he announced.

Jackson spied a bottle of expensive Scotch in the basket and immediately ushered Richard in. After placing the basket on a nearby table, Richard retrieved the stack of glasses Sookie had helped him acquire from the Dragonfly's stock room. The Scotch was poured, with a small cup of apple juice for Davey.

Luke smiled a little as Richard handed him his glass. He'd grown a little more accustomed to Richard's preferred beverage after months of Friday night dinners. Though the Gilmores were generally good about ensuring Luke had beer, on occasion, knowing Richard's alcohol consumption was limited to Friday night dinners, Luke would join him in a little bit of Scotch instead. As a result, he'd come to appreciate the strong tasting liquor a little more, and it seemed fitting to be toasting with it the same day they would officially become part of the same family. And it was certainly preferable to the champagne he'd seen Sookie setting aside for the women after the rehearsal dinner.

Richard raised his glass in a toast, "Luke, I know you appreciate boating, so this is to the only two people I have ever met who can weather the types of storms you have and wind up with an even stronger vessel than the one on which you first embarked. You, sir, are a remarkable captain."

"I think your daughter would take that spot, but I'll settle for first mate," Luke chuckled, and stretched out his arm to clink his glass to Richard's and the rest of the room.

Jess raised his eyebrows as he sipped from his glass, "This is good stuff."

"How would you know?" Luke chortled as he eyed his nephew.

"I drink Scotch," Jess glanced at his uncle and, to prove his point, turned to Richard to engage him in a discussion about aging and brands that Luke quickly tuned out as he glanced out the window, gazing toward the luminary-lit path leading to the wooded area farther away.

He'd already seen it partially decorated earlier that morning as he met a few of Lorelai's employees there to deliver the chuppah, which he and Lorelai had originally argued about whether or not to use. Luke's stance was that it was intended for another wedding and an entirely different couple. Lorelai's argument, however, won out, as she got him to admit that the chuppah and its annual upkeep had been for her, never for Max.

After seeing it moved into place that morning, Luke knew they'd made the right decision to use it, especially after he'd seen the box of flowers sitting nearby to decorate it. Everything was decked out to match the bright reds, oranges, and yellows provided by the autumn leaves of the trees, with a deep eggplant contrasting here and there. For a man who gave off such a testosterone-fueled appearance, even he had to admit that the wedding, the location, and all the little touches that Gabby, Lorelai, Sookie, and Emily had chosen were beautiful, and would only be more stunning when the glow of sunset began streaming through the trees as they finished their vows.

A knock on the door startled Luke from his reverie and he opened it to find Gabby standing there, radio headset in place, clipboard in hand. He smiled as noticed a small corsage pinned to her dress - Lorelai's doing, to include her beloved employees in her day as much as possible.

"Well, you looked more nervous the night you proposed, if that helps," Gabby said, grinning at Luke. "Carts are here to drive you up to the wedding spot. Everyone ready?"

As Luke followed Gabby down the stairs and around to where the carts were parked, he glanced back toward the honeymoon suite, wondering how far behind his future wife was running. Unfortunately, the drapes were drawn tight, and there was no indication of the flurry of last minute activity he guessed was occurring.

* * *

"Lorelai Gilmore, you are not sewing on your wedding day!" Emily stared at her daughter in horror as she entered the makeshift bridal suite.

Lorelai, fully dressed in her wedding gown, was bent over next to Rory making a small adjustment to Rory's bridesmaid dress. She jerked in surprise at Emily's shout, eliciting a small screech from Rory as the needle went in a bit farther than the material.

"Mom! Grandma!" Rory glared at the two women, unsure who to blame for being poked in the side with a needle. "That hurt!"

"Sorry," Lorelai winced at Rory before eyeing her mother, "I forgot to finish this yesterday. It's not a big deal, and we knew last minute alterations would be a possibility." She finished stitching and ripped the thread with her teeth before standing. "Done. See? Still got plenty of time."

Lorelai rolled her eyes as she heard her mother sigh heavily, and turned to double-check her lips. The makeup was still flawless thanks entirely to Justine's massive collection of professional stage makeup in all its glorious staying power. She gave Justine a grateful grin as she watched her finishing April's makeup.

"What do you think?" April asked, glancing in the floor length mirror. "I think I could use a little more drama in the eyeshadow, don't you?"

Justine hesitated and looked over at Lorelai, "Luke said-"

"I think if I say yes to that, your dad will kill both of us," Lorelai replied. Seeing April's pout, she relented, "Just a little more. He still thinks you're twelve."

Rory rolled her eyes, "He still thinks I'm twelve half the time."

"Well, neither of us are twelve, so he can deal," April grumbled, closing her eyes as Justine add a little more of the darker shadow to the edges of her eyelids.

Sookie entered the room with a grin, one hand holding Martha's and the other a cooler.

Rory grinned excitedly, "Food?"

"No food! Not in the dresses," Emily waved her hands, giving Sookie a look of distress.

"No food! No way do I trust Lorelai with food in that dress," Sookie shook her head as Lorelai objected loudly. She placed the cooler on the nearby table and opened the lid, pulling out two bottles of champagne, a bottle of sparkling cider, and a few champagne flutes.

"Ooh!" Rory walked over to help uncork, "This should help with the bride's nerves a bit."

"The bride's nerves are fine," Lorelai scowled.

"Really? I haven't seen you act so ridiculous since Luke first asked you out and you were crashing into tables and running into doors," Rory smirked, popping the cork and setting it aside to save.

"One table. One door. Both Luke's. And he got me flowers."

"I was there," Rory rolled her eyes, "And you were ridiculous. All day."

"How did I miss that?" Sookie marveled, distributing sparkling cider to April and Martha.

April pouted slightly at the fizzing apple beverage and raised her eyebrows hopefully at her soon to be stepsister as she handed out the champagne.

"You may not be twelve, but you're not even close to twenty one," Rory snorted.

"Just one small glass wouldn't hurt," April sighed. She glanced around to make sure everyone had a glass and stopped Lorelai as she was about to take a sip, "Wait! You have to toast first. Rory?"

"Do not make her cry again," Justine warned. "Give the mascara time to set."

"Hey, I already have to deal with a toast later," Rory objected.

"I've got it." Sookie grinned, "To my best friend on her wedding day. This is to the two most stubborn, ridiculous people finally getting their sh-" she glanced down at Martha, "-tuff together!"

"To getting our shtuff together!" Lorelai beamed, bending down to touch her glass to Martha's first. Martha stared wide-eyed as she moved her cup forward to touch Lorelai's.

"You're Princess Auntie Lorelai today," Martha whispered shyly.

"Okay," Lorelai whispered back, winking as she stood to toast with the rest of the room.

As the adults touched their champagne flutes to each other, Rory held Lorelai's gaze. She watched her mother's eyes start to shine the second she felt her own vision blur and immediately closed her eyes as she took a large sip of the champagne. While Rory was able to push back the threatening tears, Lorelai was slightly less successful.

"Rory, not again," Emily chided gently, reaching up to gently blot Lorelai's cheeks with a tissue. "Neither of you look at each other again until after the wedding. We should've just put you both in raincoats."

"Oooh, I could've worn my yellow boots," Lorelai giggled, sniffling as she took the tissue and gently touched it to her nose. She smiled gratefully at her mother and turned to toss the tissue in the trash.

Emily felt herself blinking rapidly and held up her hand, "Lorelai Gilmore, that's enough of this."

Lorelai was able to hold back the rush of tears this time, and rolled her eyes at herself as she took a deep breath, "I don't know what's come over me, this is cliché and stupid."

"No, it's not. This day is a long, long time in coming. I'd be concerned if you weren't emotional, lord knows the rest of us are," Sookie said firmly. "Okay, one more round of champagne should get us just the right state of mind to keep any more of this from happening."

"I don't think there's enough champagne in the world," Lorelai said under her breath, reaching up to catch another stray tear.

The room buzzed with final preparations and final coats of hair spray. As Lorelai downed her last sip of champagne, she heard a noise outside. She stood and pushed the curtain back slightly just in time to see one of the golf carts pull up. Her breath hitched, and she turned back to the rest of the room as her heart rate increased, "It's showtime, folks."

* * *

"Stop shifting." Jess whispered.

Luke grimaced. As far as he was concerned, the shifting was better than the nervous bouncing and rocking his legs were inclined to do. The rehearsal had been so calm and laid back, it hadn't occurred to him how different things would be when he was standing in front of a crowd of his friends and neighbors. He tried to drown out the hum of whispers and focus on the soothing strumming from Zack's guitar.

He smiled as Buddy escorted Maisy down the aisle, and felt his throat constrict as she placed a flower in each of the places his parents would have sat. Before Luke's manly exterior could betray him, TJ and Liz joined them in the front row, and he couldn't help but smile a little as Liz winked at him.

As Emily and Richard took their first steps down the aisle, Emily glanced slowly around. It was far from the lavish wedding she would have planned. Nonetheless, after spending the last few years finally opening herself up to better understanding her daughter and the world in which she lived, Emily knew such extravagance would have felt unnatural.

She looked up and made eye contact with the man who, in mere minutes, would take up the much-awaited, yet much-deserved title of son-in-law. That he was, in fact, the second man to hold that title in one year was irrelevant to her. Christopher would forever carry the distinction of fathering Rory, but Luke was the man who Lorelai, Emily's successful, accomplished daughter, had gone to the greatest lengths to choose - not just once, but twice - odds be damned.

Luke wasn't prepared for the expression on his future mother-in-law's face as she walked toward him. It wasn't the pleasant, perfect smile that stunned him, it was the gleam in her eye. If he wasn't mistaken, Emily Gilmore was directing a look of pride toward him. Once she registered that he understood, her smile widened just slightly. Despite his nerves, Luke found himself mirroring her expression.

April was next, and Luke shook his head slightly at the young woman walking toward him. In heels and makeup, she was so far removed from the awkward child that had brazenly stolen a strand of his hair and taken his picture almost two years ago. He was grateful she was there with him, grateful to Anna for letting her fly up to share one of the most important days of his life. He chuckled to himself as he watched her dip her head a little self consciously. As she walked past him, she looked up at him with an excited grin and reached out to quickly squeeze his forearm.

Lorelai took a nervous breath as Sookie flashed her one last smile before beginning her short path to the chuppah. Seconds later, as Gabby gently touched Davey's shoulder, and he and Martha took their first steps, Lorelai tightened her grasp on Rory's arm, which she'd been holding onto since the procession had begun.

"You gonna be okay when I leave you here alone?" Rory said quietly, smiling wryly up at her mother.

Not trusting herself to speak, Lorelai nodded, slowly releasing Rory from her grasp.

"Okay, then," Rory took a deep breath as she stepped away, "See you in a bit." She held her mother's gaze until she was forced to turn her head to follow the Belleville kids down the aisle. As she walked, she caught the eyes of several people who'd watched her grow up, who'd been there to celebrate so many important moments in her own life.

She smiled at the person who'd raised her mother from a confused teenager to an independent woman, having a new perspective of her mother's relationship with Mia. Her gaze drifted to her grandparents, taking in their warm smiles and wet eyes. She hoped her mother understood the importance of having all three of them there.

Finally, Rory looked ahead to her new stepsister, the former rebel she'd once loved, and her breath hitched slightly as she met the gaze of her step-father.

Luke was nervous, Rory could tell, but the look on his face reminded her of some of her earlier days at the diner. Books and homework spread out in front of her at a table, if Rory heard the door open behind her, she could always tell by the look on Luke's face whether it was her mother or not. It was a look of joy and anticipation as if he couldn't wait to see what crazy statement was about to come out of Lorelai's mouth. And as soon as it had appeared, the look would be quickly masked by annoyance, though Rory knew it was a ruse. Of course, she was young then, and it wasn't until she was much older that she was able to fully comprehend just how much was behind the gazes directed at her mother. Rory gave Luke one final nod of approval as she smiled at him and took her place next to Sookie.

As the chords of Zack's guitar changed slightly, the crowd stood, and Luke felt his pulse quicken. He stepped away from Jess to get a better view as Lorelai slowly walked down the aisle. As if he was dreaming, the people around him faded to a blur as he focused on the view ahead of him. Later, Luke wouldn't remember the dress, the flowers, or the delicate headband in her hair. From the second Lorelai took her first step toward him, all he could focus on was her face. He'd remember her nervous smile and wide eyes as a she took in the crowd ahead of her, and the small, knowing grin they shared as they locked eyes.

Lorelai handed her bouquet to Rory, then turned to Luke, missing most of Reverend Skinner's introduction as they grinned at each other. They turned slightly as Rabbi Barans took his place.

They'd first gone to him to ask if they were committing some great religious crime by having the chuppah as part of their non-religious wedding ceremony. He'd excitedly explained that they were absolutely not and, in fact, while there were very specific traditional meanings for the chuppah, there was also quite a bit of symbolism they'd likely appreciate. As soon as he mentioned the chuppah's representation of creating a new household together, Lorelai asked if he'd be willing to be a part of the ceremony. Naturally, he agreed, though neither Luke nor Lorelai knew exactly what he planned to say.

The rabbi smiled and reached out to squeeze both of their shoulders for a moment before he addressed the wedding guests.

"This is the first wedding I've been asked to help officiate alongside Reverend Skinner, and also the first Gentile couple I've seen wed under a chuppah. It is a known fact that, here in Stars Hollow, we love tradition, both old and new. We can look forward to events such as the Firelight Festival every year, while also waiting to see what new, original celebration Taylor Doose will come up with each year."

The crowd chuckled at that, and Lorelai giggled as she caught Luke's eye roll. She strained to listen for an outraged gasp from Taylor, but none was forthcoming.

"And so, we have an old Jewish tradition standing here as part of a new tradition where two religious leaders in this community are found marrying a non-religious couple," Rabbi Barans paused with a smile as everyone broke into laughter a second time. Before he continued, he turned his attention to the couple in front of him with a serious expression.

"I find it fitting that you two in particular have chosen to stand here today under this small structure, and everything it represents. The chuppah is a symbol of the new home you are creating. It's mobile, and stands strong regardless of where it is located."

Rory's eyes widened and she felt a tear escape as he touched on a subject so near to her heart. She held her mother's bouquet just a little tighter, in place of her hand.

"It's sturdy, made so by careful attention to detail, ensuring that it's able to withstand even the strongest of winds."

Luke's hand tightened around Lorelai's; both of them were well aware of the amount of work that had gone into their relationship over the last four months, and the work that would need to continue to go into their relationship for the rest of their lives. As the two made silent vows with their eyes, the rabbi glanced around with a warm smile, taking time to specifically address those closest to Luke and Lorelai as he spoke again.

"The chuppah has no walls; all four of its sides are open, bringing in family and friends from all directions," he paused, hearing a few hums from the crowd, "I can tell by the various reactions from each of you, you agree with me that the chuppah could not have been a better structure for these two to be wed under, a perfect representation of their relationship and the life they share. I believe it was always intended for this, that some unseen force was guiding Luke's hand as he carved it so many years ago.

"Before I hand the rest of the ceremony over to Reverend Skinner, there's a bit of news I'm honored to share with you. Fittingly, after today, this chuppah will not return to the same house whose lawn it's decorated the last few years. Instead, it will be the first item to be relocated to help Luke and Lorelai build their new home together in a house not far from here. So after tomorrow, when you drive past it, remember that it's not only a wooden structure built by a man for the woman he loves, but also a symbol of the lives these two have chosen to join today."

Lorelai blinked back tears as she looked at Luke in surprise, and he nodded slightly. He'd mentioned the move to their officiants after the rehearsal, and Rabbi Barans had asked if he minded it being integrated into the ceremony. Luke had hesitated at first, but eventually agreed, and he couldn't have been happier with the way it had been included.

There was a brief rush of whispers through the wedding guests as they reacted to the news while the rabbi stepped back to trade places with Reverend Skinner.

After hours of reading through wedding vows old and new, Luke and Lorelai had chosen to keep them simple, sticking to a slightly updated version of traditional wedding vows. They held to each other tightly through every word, each focusing heavily on not letting a nervous giggle or unsteady "um" slip into their recitations.

Luke sighed with relief as the reverend stepped back, instructing each of them to kiss their new spouse. As Luke wrapped his arm around Lorelai's waist, she rested her hand on his chest, holding him back for a moment with a grin as her gaze flitted from his lips back up his eyes.

"All in?" Lorelai whispered.

"All in," Luke chuckled, just before their lips met.

He'd intended a sweet kiss, something brief and gentle. Of course, he should have known that his new wife would be intent on making sure the town was well aware she'd finally claimed their favorite bachelor as her husband, and flung her arm around his neck, pulling him closer as she deepened the kiss, the corners of her mouth turned up in a self-indulgent grin. Despite the pounding in his ears, Luke heard a squeal and a wolf whistle he knew came from none other than Patty and Babette.

As Lorelai slowly released Luke, he shook his head with a smirk.

"Proud of yourself?" he asked.

"Hell yes," Lorelai grinned, then turned to Rory to retrieve her bouquet. As expected, she found her daughter shaking her head with a knowing smirk. Lorelai bit her lip impishly in response before reaching for Luke's arm and leading the rest of the wedding party back up the aisle.

* * *

"No more early deliveries that you have to sleep someplace else for."

"I haven't done that at all since moving in. No fake smiles. I know the difference."

"Haven't had a reason for one. No hiding kids from me."

"No hiding _potential_ kids from me."

Lorelai grinned at that, leaning over to kiss Luke again as the music ended. Throughout their first dance, they'd whispered several additional vows to each other, mostly in jest, but with an undeniable layer of truth behind them. She slid her hand down his arm to hold his hand as she pulled him over to their table.

Lane set up the next song to play, gave Zack a quick kiss on the cheek, and tugged the tightly folded paper out of his suit pocket as she noticed Luke and Lorelai sitting without interruption for a moment.

"Are you kidding with this?" Lane slapped the deeply creased printout of Lorelai's house down in front of her.

"Yep, totally a big, fat joke. So was the rabbi's speech about us moving," Lorelai laughed and shook her head at Lane, "Of course I'm not kidding. Whatcha think?"

Lane dropped her hands to her hips and stared incredulously between the newly wedded couple, "What do you think I think?! Yes! Absolutely, yes! And the rent-to-own thing?! Seriously?!"

"Seriously," Luke replied.

"And Rory's okay with this?"

"Rory's okay with it, I'm okay with it, Luke's okay with it, Paul Anka's okay with it," Lorelai handed the sheet of paper back to Lane. "We'll talk more over the next few days, figure everything out, and get some paperwork drawn up."

"Well, okay then!" Lane beamed as she folded the paper back up, "I gotta get back over there before Zack slips something weird into my playlist."

Lorelai nodded to her and turned to Luke as Lane walked away, "Well, that's that, then."

"That's that. Are you sure you're going to be okay with it?"

"I'm already okay with it. And after the way Rabbi Barans worded everything about the chuppah..." she squeezed his hand. "It was perfect."

" _You_ look perfect. I'm glad you kept the dress."

"Me too," Lorelai smiled. She reached for her glass of champagne and took a long sip as she surveyed the tented area, "Ooh, come on, Mia and Howard finally took a break from dancing."

Luke stood and let himself be dragged across the dance floor toward the table Mia and Howard occupied. Mia stood as they approached and held Lorelai in a tight hug. Letting the women have their moment, Luke reached his hand out and introduced himself to Howard.

"It would've been you," Lorelai whispered in Mia's ear, tears choking her voice.

"What would have?"

"If I were going to have anyone give me away. I was going to ask you... um, last year. But I... things with my parents now are... I didn't want it to seem like I was trying to hurt them, and I know they might have taken it that way," Lorelai drew a shaky breath.

"Oh goodness, Lorelai," Mia held her tightly. "It's better this way. But thank you for telling me. Those steps down the aisle were ones you needed to take on your own, I think."

"I suppose I did," Lorelai sniffed, as Mia offered her Michel's as yet unused napkin to dab her eyes. "Thank you so much for coming."

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," Mia beamed, and turned to Luke, "And you. Congratulations, Lucas. I'm glad you let me come after I uninvited you to my wedding."

Luke shook his head and hugged her, "No hard feelings. It was the right choice for all of us."

"Now, now, don't hog them, Mia," Maisy teased.

Luke released Mia with a wide grin and reached over to hug Maisy, who ran her hand over his head affectionately, "Your parents are so happy right now."

"I sure hope they would've been," Luke pulled back.

"Are, Lucas. No way they missed this."

Luke chuckled, squeezing her shoulder, "I liked the thing with the flowers... where they would've been sitting. I didn't know you were going to do that."

"That was all Lorelai's idea," Maisy smiled fondly past Luke at Lorelai, who was busy talking to Howard and Mia. "I'm so glad you two were able to work it out. I'd like to think you took some of my advice."

"I definitely heard you, Maisy. We've both had life and plenty of people kick us around a little the past year, and it's still not as much as we've been kicking ourselves."

"Good," Maisy winked. "I noticed Lorelai has Maggie's necklace as her something borrowed."

"Yeah, I hadn't realized she was going to do that. I gave that to Rory for her twenty-first birthday. She tried to give it back, thinking it should go to April, but..." Luke shrugged.

"April has your mother's matching bracelet, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, gave it to her for her birthday this year. She has that on today, too, actually," Luke nodded to where April stood talking to Jess.

"That's perfect. And Lorelai with your mother's wedding ring. Your family is beautiful, Lucas," Maisy kissed his cheek and stepped aside to let her husband have a chance to talk to the groom.

"How ya feeling?" Buddy asked.

"Better than I have in years, Buddy."

"Good. I was worried about you. You talked about Lorelai for years before we finally met her, and then still so much after you broke up. This is good. It's right," Buddy smiled, patting his arm. "No busting your head open and tossing your cookies today?"

"Nah, I'm a lot more sure of this than I was the day I opened the diner."

Buddy nodded and grasped Luke's arm tightly. "I'm proud of you. Now, we're not staying too late, so make sure we get a chance to say goodbye before the end of the night."

"I will, I promise," Luke smiled, watching Buddy and Maisy walk away, reaching for each other's hands as they returned to their seats.

"Excuse me," Rory sidled up to her mother and glanced at Mia, "Can I steal the bride a moment?"

"Oh, of course," Mia winked at Lorelai.

"Steal me? What for?" Lorelai asked.

"Lane's going to call us to the dance floor as soon as this song finishes."

"Call us?" Lorelai grinned widely, her eyes sparkling, "What did you do?"

Rory shook her head and took each of her mother's hands, a delighted grin on her face as Lane followed through with Rory's request to summon them to the dance floor. Lorelai turned to shoot a confused look at Luke who merely shrugged in response.

As Queen's "You're My Best Friend" began blasting through the speakers, Lorelai tipped her head back, laughing.

"I know you guys wanted to forego all the traditional dances aside from yours and Luke's since Luke's parents aren't around, but April and I figured we could do a bit of a twist on them. Of course, she ended up chickening out, but I couldn't marry you off without reminding you that you were _my_ best friend first," Rory grinned. "You like?"

" _Love_. I wish I'd have thought of it," Lorelai pulled back to force Rory into a turn.

"I was originally going to do Dolly's 'I Will Always Love You' but that ended up not being about me at all, so-"

"Well, it was supposed to be funny. Luke wasn't supposed to show up."

"Didn't you invite him?"

"He said it wasn't his thing, I didn't think he'd walk in unexpectedly, in _that_ hat, smiling, and... anyway. This song is better," Lorelai grinned, squeezing Rory's hand, "You do make me live, you know."

"No, you make _me_ live. I'm glad things have worked out with the house. I get to come home to you, and then home again to visit Lane."

"Yeah, I guess so," Lorelai replied, feeling tears threatening for the millionth time, "I may have given you life, but you gave me a life to live. If not for you, we never would've come to Stars Hollow in the first place. I never would've met Luke, and we wouldn't be here tonight at all."

"I think we'll need to call a truce on this argument. I can't believe you announced the move to the town during the ceremony."

"Totally not my doing, but I liked that we kinda got that out of the way. That was all Luke and Rabbi Barans. I didn't even know what our dear town rabbi had up his sleeve with the chuppah talk at all. I'm glad I didn't, it was neat to hear it all like that for the first time."

"Really? I thought for sure the bit about it being able to stand no matter where it's located was for me."

"Maybe it was, but I had nothing to do with it," Lorelai pulled Rory in closer and wrapped her arm around her. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't been able to get time off for tonight."

"If not for you inspiring that article, I may not have. I'm glad you and Luke didn't elope after things fell apart last time, even as awful as all of that was."

"Me too, this is much better. Oh, and new rule on that front. No more wondering what might have happened or moping over lost time as of today."

"That's a good rule. You've done enough living in the past this year. You've got a new house, a new name, and a whole new future ahead of you," Rory pulled back slightly to watch her mother blink back tears. "Oops, sorry."

"Hey, it's my party, I can cry if I want to. Should've included that in the playlist."

"Okay, your turn to spin, show off that skirt, Mrs. Danes," Rory twirled her mother out, and Lorelai turned with a flourish, giggling as Rory tugged her back in, "Fancy."

"No point in a flowy skirt if you're not gonna use it." Lorelai shook her head in amazement as she listened to a few of the lyrics, "This song really is perfect."

"Oh, I know. I may have cried when I finally picked this one. So, when are you thinking about orchestrating this big move?"

"No actual dates yet, but it'll be between now and December. You're still okay with Christmas in some new digs?"

"Yup. New slate to start over after last year's weirdness with Dad there. And we can put our old stockings back up. You still have Paul Anka's?"

"He shredded it after he smelled residue from his treats in there," Lorelai looked slightly worried, "You think he knows he's been left out of tonight?"

"Your dog?" Rory laughed, "No, Mom, I think he'll be happy for you guys."

"Good, because I didn't get him a Thing Three shirt, either."

"Thing Three... shirt?"

"You and April. Thing One and Thing Two. I figured it would be funny for your sleepover tonight at the house, so I got you matching shirts and pants to sleep in tonight. They're sitting on your bed."

"So you think we're gonna wreak a bunch of havoc back at the house? Who's the cat in the hat and when will they arrive to shove us back in the box?"

"Luke, obviously. He has the hat, afterall. And we'll be home after brunch tomorrow."

"Did you know there was a TV show that had a Thing Three and Thing Four?" Rory mused.

Lorelai frowned in thought, "I'm not buying another dog."

"I was implying... nevermind."

Lorelai rolled her eyes, "Oh, please. I feel like half the town knows a kid's a possibility now that we're hitched. But I'll let ya know when there's a Thing Three shirt for someone other than Paul Anka, my dear Thing One."

"You'd better."

They grinned as they sang the last refrain to each other and held hands as they returned to Luke, who was smiling with his hand on April's shoulder as they watched.

Lorelai leaned over to kiss his smooth cheek. "Did you know about that?"

"Nope," Luke chuckled. "It was great, though." He slid his arm around Lorelai's shoulders and groaned as he heard the tinkle of silverware against glasses. "I thought we were going to ban that tradition."

"You can't ban that. And I may have encouraged it."

"Pucker up and kiss your damn wife, Luke!" Babette screeched from somewhere.

"Yeah," Lorelai goaded him, "Pucker up and kiss your damn-" She was quickly cut off by Luke finally following orders as he tipped her backwards for an overdramatic, yet impressively lengthy kiss.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: Still in shock I wrote this chapter, over 6 months after the fact. Much like the engagement, I never planned to write the wedding; I fully intended to shoot past it and reference it in passing. Fictional weddings are hard for me to read and watch; I wasn't about to write one. I soon realized that writing it was inevitable, and now it's one of my favorite parts of this fic, especially the chuppah section (for which the chapter is named); everything the rabbi said came from a bunch of research (I like research) and discussion with people who know stuff._

 _The thing with the flowers on Luke's parents' seats... that is something I stole directly from my own parents' wedding. My dad's mom died months before my parents got married, and my mom's mom left a flower on what would have been her seat. It's a beautiful gesture, and, in this case, it seemed fitting for Maisy to be the one to do it._

 _I named Luke's mom in another fic (that may or may not ever see the light of day), and I'm keeping the same name for this one because I can. ;)_


	31. Perspectives

**Chapter 31: Perspectives**

Luke and Lorelai's wedding reception continued, and the guests moved around, settling into different seats as they socialized and danced. Conversation generally centered around the litany of relationship tales featuring the newlyweds.

As a slow song transitioned into something more upbeat, Emily and Richard made their way off the dance floor. Richard was pulled aside by Taylor Doose, seeking to continue a previous discussion on Stars Hollow business matters, while Emily escaped to a nearby table to find Mia quietly observing the festivities with an amused smile. The two had begun talking before the wedding, and Emily was eager to speak with her again.

"I believe I overheard you mention knowing Luke when he was younger?" Emily asked, turning to Mia with a curious expression as she sat.

"I did. I was friends with his parents. Very wonderful people who both died far too young," Mia replied sadly, watching Luke from across the room as he talked to a few guests, his eyes never quite leaving his wife a few feet away. She turned to Emily, "I don't think I've seen him quite so happy since he was a child. Lorelai certainly has a way with him."

Emily smiled, "I fought this for so long, I never really stopped to observe them together until recently." She chuckled as she watched Lorelai interrupt Luke's conversation to drag him back onto the dance floor, his annoyed expression breaking into a smile at something she said as she tugged his lapels teasingly.

The women watched the two for a few more minutes before Emily continued her line of inquiry, "Rory once told me that he and Lorelai didn't meet until several years after she'd moved here, which seems strange to me. My daughter's had a coffee addiction since one of her nannies thought it adorable to indulge her when she was ten. For as well known as Luke's coffee is around here, it seems odd she didn't meet him sooner," Emily gestured to her daughter, "I have to imagine a teenager showing up on your doorstep with an infant couldn't have been a secret for long."

"No, it was well known fact within a week of her arrival. Lucas has never been one for gossip, though, and his only question was if it seemed to be working out okay, out of concern for me." Mia smiled fondly, "You see, several friends had questioned my sanity given the circumstances, but by then, I'd already developed quite a soft spot for the girls. As for the coffee, the diner hadn't opened yet."

Emily nodded, having never given much thought to the reactions of the nosy citizens of Stars Hollow. They all seemed to adore Lorelai, she'd never considered that it may not have been that way from the start. She decided to shelve those thoughts for the time being.

"Ah, yes, it would have been a hardware store still. Luke's father's, I believe?"

"Yes, though by that point, it wasn't open much. William was already quite sick by then. Lucas had given up his track scholarship and dropped out of college to take care of him. He tried for his father's sake to keep the store open as much as possible, but William was a stubborn man and had mostly run it himself. It was a bit much to try and take care of his father and run the store at the same time."

Emily glanced over at Luke with a newfound respect. She hadn't realized he'd had such a strong sense of familial obligation. She wondered how different he would have been had he not lost his parents so early.

"We all tried to help as much as we could during that awful time," Mia continued, "But the Danes men are… not historically good at accepting help."

"Still aren't," Maisy rolled her eyes as she joined the table, "I don't think he would've taken Buddy and I up on our offers to help him learn more about running a restaurant if we hadn't pretended we needed help around Sniffy's."

"Did he never consider going back to school? Even culinary school? I've heard Lorelai rave about his impressive cooking skills outside of diner food," Emily asked.

"Oh, no. I think that helps him distinguish fun from work. And he wasn't one to enjoy school much. He went to school because of the scholarship, and to figure out what he wanted to do, I think, but I'm not sure he ever would've lasted. As awful as the circumstances were, it all worked out for him," Maisy said proudly.

"I suppose it did," Emily replied, thoughtfully, knowing a little something about bad circumstances working out. She couldn't imagine her or Lorelai's lives without Rory in them. "The first time I saw them together, I thought for sure they were dating. I knew from Lorelai's reaction that they would eventually."

"Oh, honey, truer words have never been spoken. I heard Lorelai's name for years before I finally met her," Maisy smirked before leaving to find Buddy, "He was smitten from the day she walked into his diner demanding coffee."

Mia laughed, "Though he fell for Rory long before then. She invited him to her caterpillar's funeral and he gave her donuts to cater the event since he couldn't get away from the diner to attend."

"Oh, that's precious, I hadn't heard that story," Emily laughed.

Rory dropped one hand on her grandmother's shoulder and the other on her surrogate grandmother's, having heard the tail end of Mia's comment as she approached. "He was very sweet. I was devastated. My poor caterpillar never made it to the butterfly stage and I thought the entire thing was so tragic, George deserved to have gotten something out of his short, unfulfilled life." She thought for a moment, "Actually, it is still tragic when you think about it in those terms."

Mia patted Rory's hand, and the two began reminiscing about the day George was laid to rest.

Emily glanced at Mia as she interacted with Rory, and for the first time, felt truly grateful that both Lorelai and Rory had someone to look out for them so long ago. It had taken time, but Emily had slowly forced herself to let go of the life she'd imagined for her daughter, and allow herself to understand the life Lorelai had made for her and Rory, instead. She realized, in doing so, she had to accept that Lorelai had been given another mother later in life, who helped raise her from a lost teenager with no direction to a woman who was strong and smart enough to raise a daughter alone, and to open and run her own inn. It would be unfair to not credit Mia with some amount of guidance in the person Lorelai had become.

She was pulled from her thoughts as she noticed Richard all but sending up an SOS signal as he attempted to kindly end his conversation with Mr. Doose. Before Emily could rescue him, Rory picked up on his distress and swept her grandfather back to the dance floor. Emily laughed as his eyes sparkled, full of adoration for the young woman. She noticed Mia smiling at the pair as well, and the two shared a proud smile.

Having Mia's attention again, Emily sobered slightly, wanting to continue seeking details about her daughter's past.

"You mentioned that Lorelai may not have had the most friendly reception upon her arrival here," she said quietly to Mia.

Mia raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Oh, it was friendly enough. People were just worried. It's rare for complete strangers to take up residence here, let alone a young, unwed mother. Lorelai very quickly proved their concerns to be unfounded, and the town adored Rory from the start. Lorelai mainly had to contend with the other maids. She was more efficient and more of a hard worker than any of them. I think she felt she had to work twice as hard to make up for the provisions I'd made for her. Which is silly, it's Stars Hollow, anyone here would have helped in some way."

"Her pride would have been important to her," Emily said, thinking of one of the strongest similarities between her daughter and herself, and perhaps one of the shared personality traits that caused them the greatest of difficulties in their relationship.

"It was. She paid me back for nearly every single thing I did for her, which was frustrating when something was intended as a gift. By the time Rory was four, I'd grown tired of finding envelopes with cash and a note that it was to pay for a box of crayons, a sweater, or a new toy I'd bought. The final straw was when she asked about setting up a payment plan to pay me back for the Christmas presents I'd bought for Rory. I had to sit Lorelai down and explain the concept of a gift," Mia shook her head, recalling Lorelai's frustration during the conversation, "She eventually stopped fighting me, but the battle to let herself accept it was so evident in those expressive blue eyes."

Emily took a long, slow sip of her drink, feeling guilty. Perceptive to a fault, Lorelai learned very early on that gifts came with expectations and strings attached. Emily had never realized how strongly it affected her daughter until she offered to help with a termite problem back when Rory was in high school.

"Richard and I are to blame for that. And the world in which Lorelai grew up. Nothing comes without a price," Emily sighed as she saw Mia's sad, knowing expression. "I would guess you and I have both had our work cut out for us to undo Lorelai's lack of trust with regard to gifts."

Mia chuckled, "Seems to have worked. April and Rory are certainly excited about the new house."

"The house was not without its own amount of negotiations," Emily rolled her eyes. "Of course, we expected it, especially from Luke, but it was still less of a gift than we anticipated, in the end. The two are far too accustomed to having to earn things themselves. It'll be an interesting fight if they have children together. God forbid I offer to babysit."

Emily and Mia both laughed as they imagined the reactions of the world's most stubborn couple in such a situation. Mia soon excused herself to join her husband on the dance floor as Richard and Rory returned from their own promenade.

"He's not bad," Rory said proudly, she and her grandfather choosing seats on either side of Emily.

"I've been known to cut a rug or two," Richard smiled, winking at his wife.

"Or two?" Emily laughed, patting his knee. "We did dance quite a bit in our day, didn't we?"

"We did, indeed. I recall being the envy of many a young man at the time."

Emily rolled her eyes, but couldn't help falling into her husband's loving gaze. A thousand memories sparked between them, from their first few dates to a recent evening spent on a balcony during a warm fall evening, an old record playing in the background as they danced in the moonlight. Likely, they would be the envy of many a young person, even now.

Although tonight, it wasn't Emily and Richard at whom the admiring gazes were directed. Emily followed her granddaughter's proud smile, surprised to see Luke returning it from several feet away. Rory giggled as he grew awkward and he turned his head slightly, directing his focus back to the woman dancing slowly in his arms.

Richard cocked his head at the exchange. For as much attention as he and Emily had paid to Luke and Lorelai, they'd never given much thought to Rory's relationship to Luke. He recalled her anger at Emily years prior after Luke and Lorelai's first breakup; at the time, he'd assumed Rory's reaction had more to do with her mother's pain than anything else.

Rory glanced over to find both her grandparents watching her with thoughtful expressions on their faces and nodded toward her mother and Luke. "Just glad to see he's still enjoying himself. I thought he'd be starting to hide by now. He's not really much for parties."

"And yet he planned your graduation party," Emily pointed out.

"Yeah," Rory smiled fondly at the thought, "But that's Luke. Last year's uncharacteristic behavior aside, there's really not much he wouldn't do for either of us. I wish you'd have been able to see that earlier on."

Emily nodded slightly, "We do as well." She dropped her hand onto her granddaughter's and squeezed, "Rory, you know that so much of the things we wanted for your mother, and for you, were because we thought we knew what would be best. Things have changed a great deal."

"I can tell," Rory replied. "You know, he really was such a huge part of both our lives long before they dated."

"I recall him being around more often than one would normally expect for a man your mother supposedly wasn't interested in." Emily said, recalling the many memories she had of the two of them together.

"Yeah. Mom could do anything, she was amazing, but with Dad never around aside from phone calls and a visit every year or two, there were so many things I ended up turning to Luke for. Stuff I never even told Mom about until a few years ago," Rory smiled a little.

"When I was in middle school, I had this project where I had to build a replica of an ancient Incan dwelling. Mom was picking up more hours at the inn since she finally let me stay home alone around that time, and when I'd get lonely, I'd go hang out at Luke's. There were always people around to talk to, and Luke was always nice to me. He spotted me grumbling over the project - I mean, what does building an Incan dwelling actually teach you about history? Anyway, he'd done the same project, and told me about his. I loved it, he offered to help, and over the next few days we built it together whenever Mom was at work."

Rory made sure she had her grandparents' full attention, "When I turned it in, everyone had done their projects with their dads, so I lied and said my dad had helped me with mine, too. I didn't really realize until later how many times Luke had played that part in my life."

Richard cleared his throat, "Rory, you know your dad would have been there more if-"

"No, Grandpa. He could have been there, he chose not to be. Even he's realized that, with all the things he's experienced raising GG." Rory waited until Richard nodded slowly, acquiescing, before she continued. "Luke listened to me rant about homework many times over pie, he helped keep the house from falling down around us, he's always been one of Mom's best friends, he was at my high school graduation when my own father wasn't... he was so important to us, that I even warned mom against dating him. Twice. Because she had a bad track record and I didn't want to risk either of us losing him."

Emily raised her eyebrows at that, knowing Lorelai would likely not consider such an order from anyone but Rory. "How did she react?"

"The first time wasn't really much of a discussion, and I'm not sure she was really serious about it. The second time was after their, well, they don't really consider it their first date, but it was. Luke invited Mom to his sister's wedding and she wasn't really sure if it was a date or not and asked me if I thought it was..." Rory smirked as she recalled her mother's behavior that afternoon for the second time. "I told her to be careful because dating Luke wouldn't just be _dating_ him, it would be serious from the start... we never really got to talk about it much after that, but that was the beginning of it all."

"Their breakups must have been hard for you, then, losing Luke." Emily frowned, feeling guilty over the first one she had largely orchestrated as she viewed it from a new perspective.

Rory shook her head, "That's the thing. It was a little weird at first, but we had our own friendship apart from Mom. The only time things were weird were when I was angry at him for what he'd put her through last year, but even after they broke up that final time... I wasn't in Stars Hollow much just because of school, but things were okay between Luke and I the few times I ran into him. I wasn't going to remove myself from his life because of what happened between them. And Mom didn't want me to, either."

Rory watched her grandparents' expressions soften, and Emily squeezed Rory's hand a little more tightly as she spoke quietly, "It's why you were so upset with me after they broke up the first time."

"It wasn't just because Mom was hurting, Luke was too. He's the one I was always worried about until it happened, and... well," Rory took a deep breath, waving her free hand dismissively, as she changed the tone of the conversation, "That's all behind us. I just hope you understand... Luke's a really good man. April's better for having him in her life, and Mom and I have been as well."

"We know, Rory." Richard said, smiling warmly at his granddaughter, "We've gotten to know him a lot better during these last few months. He's more than just the man your mother wants to be with. I'm pleased to have him as a son-in-law."

"We both are," Emily added.

"Good," Rory smiled, reaching over to pat her grandfather's hand. She looked through the crowd, spotting Luke sitting quietly at the table, relaxing a little with a glass of water as her mother taught April the "hand jive" on the dance floor. "Now, I'm going to remind my step-dad how much we all love him before Mom steals him away again. Can I get you two anything before I go over there?"

"No," Emily shook her head, "Everything's perfect."

* * *

Sookie breathed a sigh of relief as Luke and Lorelai carefully fed each other the first slice of cake. Lorelai had promised her several times that the traditional cake cutting would be kept classy, not wanting to risk staining the dress or losing the deposit on Luke's tuxedo. But she knew of her friend's ability to be swept up in a moment, especially among a crowd, and worried the cake wouldn't make it through the evening. Fortunately, it seemed Lorelai had seen enough cake tragedies at the weddings she'd planned in the past, and was keeping her word.

"She is ridiculous," Michel groused, handing Sookie a piece of cake as he walked up next to her. Sookie glanced back over at Lorelai, her attention to the cake completely lost as she and Luke talked quietly at their table. She'd never seen her friend look more unabashedly smitten in her life.

"She's in love, Michel," Sookie smiled, elbowing her associate in the ribs as she turned to look at him. "Not that you'd ever know what that's like."

"I have been in love before," Michel protested.

"Oh, right. Celine. Sorry, my mistake."

"That's infatuation. I know the difference," he sniffed. "I was engaged to Margaux before I came to the U.S."

Sookie's jaw dropped a little and she gave Michel her full attention, "Engaged? You?"

"Yes," Michel frowned, annoyed that Sookie would find him so incapable of such a thing. "We were very young. High school, you would say, but I loved her."

"What happened?"

"I had been here, ah, Hartford, as an exchange student, and wanted to come back again, maybe for university, maybe for life. She wanted to open a café." Michel shrugged, then smirked a little. "She worked in a café, but she never opened her own, and now lives in the country raising six children with a gardener."

"I wouldn't exactly call Stars Hollow a fancy, happening city worth bragging about, Michel."

"No, but I sent her a postcard from LA a few years ago. She might think I live there for some reason," Michel grinned mischievously as Sookie laughed. "It would have never worked, anyway. I liked it here, Margaux hated it. And I grew up more like Lorelai. Margaux did not. Her family came into money just before we met."

A few pieces of the puzzle known as Michel fell into place as Sookie watched his gaze fall on Luke and Lorelai. "It does work out sometimes," Sookie said, "Coming from two different upbringings."

"So it seems," Michel shrugged. "But sometimes you deserve someone who understands what that is like. Knowing how to... ah... be proper. How to dress and dance, how to attend a formal dinner, hold a conversation."

"You didn't really like Christopher, either, and he knew all of that."

"Christopher was an ass. But Lorelai is different than I am, and doesn't value those things like I do. The flannel man makes her happy. I would have never been so content with Margaux in the end," Michel rolled his eyes as Lorelai held a second forkful of cake to Luke's lips, trying to convince him to take a bite. "See? Ridiculous. I would never do such a thing."

"You sound jealous," Sookie teased.

Michel wrinkled his nose and gave her an offended glare, "Lorelai is not my type, and I am not jealous of Luke. I'm glad for them. She is much easier to deal with when they are happy. She hired me, and I've worked with her for nearly a decade, I should know when she is having a good day and a bad day. She has a very short temper when they are arguing, and unbearable when they are broken up. You know."

"I do, I definitely do."

"Where is your farmer?"

Sookie gestured to the dance floor where Jackson was showing Davey his "moves", and giggled at the boy's ability to dance quite a bit better than his father. Michel had no idea what he was missing out on, judging his dates by their dancing abilities. Jackson's poor dancing skills were adorable.

"Do you think you'll ever consider dating seriously again, Michel?" Sookie asked, pulling her eyes from her husband.

"Yes," Michel answered, a mysterious smile forming on his face.

"Oh my god, the girl from the concert. The one who looks like Cel-"

"No," Michel shook his head. "She, actually, is a friend. She does not like dogs. It could never work."

"And your girlfriend does like dogs?" Sookie continued her prodding, suddenly intensely curious about Michel's personal life.

"Yes," he replied, smirking as he noticed the over-eager expression on her face. "If she becomes a Mrs. Girard, I will probably not invite you to the wedding, you know."

"Oh, I know," Sookie replied with a laugh. She reached for two champagne glasses from a passing tray, smiling at Derek as he headed toward the tables. She handed one to Michel and lifted her glass, "To your mystery dog lover."

Michel guffawed, but clinked his glass to Sookie's nonetheless. Thinking of the woman he'd begun dating over the past few weeks, he reached for the phone in his pocket and walked away from the reception area. Sookie took a few more sips of her champagne and sat down next to Martha who was watching Luke and Lorelai from a nearby chair.

"Hi, pumpkin, you sleepy?"

"No," Martha replied with a yawn. "Mommy, I'm gonna marry Uncle Luke too."

"I think your Auntie Lorelai would be pretty sad if you stole Uncle Luke. I think you can find someone _like_ Luke to marry, though." Sookie smiled a little as Martha nodded sleepily. "Why do you want to marry Uncle Luke?"

"So I could wear that dress. And be a bride and a princess at the same time."

Sookie giggled at Martha's childlike observations of the wedding. "You know, Mommy got to get pretty like that when she married your daddy. And daddy wore a skirt."

"No he didn't," Martha giggled back, "Daddy doesn't wear skirts."

"He did that day. I'll show you tomorrow and you can see my beautiful dress and what our wedding looked like."

Martha's eyes brightened excitedly at the thought of her mother dressed as a princess and slid off her chair to go ask her father if he really wore a skirt to his wedding.

* * *

Babette collapsed into a chair next to Patty and dropped her head onto the table.

"Throwing in the towel?" Patty asked with a chuckle. Babette and Morey had out-danced the majority of the wedding guests, including Lorelai, who had been sitting with her head resting on Luke's shoulder for the last few songs. Given the growing closeness of their proximity since Lorelai had sat down, she didn't think they'd be around too much longer.

"Yeah. Morey's beat." Babette mumbled, still face-down, her head resting on her arm. "I think he's gettin' old."

Patty spotted Morey standing and chatting with Brian - Lane and Zack's Hep Alien bandmate - and smirked, "You're lucky he kept up with you as long as he did."

"Yeah," Babette replied and leaned back in her chair, lifting her feet onto the empty one next to her. She sipped her champagne, which had long since gone flat, and sighed happily. "Good weddin'." She touched her champagne flute to Patty's water glass, "Nice job we did here, dontcha think?"

"Oh, yes," Patty laughed, "I think holding the town back from intruding those first few weeks helped. They needed the time to sort things out. Best decision we've ever made."

"Damn straight," Babette nodded in agreement. "Hey, did you know about their new house?"

"No. I don't think anyone did. And I have no idea how that happened without someone finding out. I'm surprised you didn't overhear anything."

"Pffft. All I ever overhear these days is him fixin' things at ungodly hours of the morning. Any important conversations over there happen behind tightly closed doors and windows. I think Luke's paranoid about how close he is to my house and shuts things when they talk, the bastard," Babette blew a stray hair out of her face, "And now I won't even have the slightest hint once she gets knocked up."

"Yeah," Patty sighed. "I figure we'll know the first time Luke pours her decaf."

"In the meantime, sounds like the Van Gerbigs are movin' into Lorelai's place. So at least I'll get to hear some Hep Alien and see those little boys all the time," Babette smiled, then wrinkled her nose, adding, "I just hope Mrs. Kim doesn't come around too much, that woman scares me. Only person I know who puts up a booth of burnin' brimstone at festivals. Like that's gonna draw me to church."

Patty chuckled, "It's a good thing Lane had Rory and Lorelai growing up." She frowned as she noticed Kirk near the bar, "And not to sound like Mrs. Kim, but is Kirk actually drinking alcohol?"

"Ohhhh, yeah. He and Lulu both looked pretty lit earlier, makin' out against a tree. Now I don't mind catching glimpses of these things, you know, Luke and Lorelai can really steam up that porch of hers, but I don't ever wanna see Lulu's hand down the back of Kirk's pants ever again."

"I'll never understand that pairing."

"Yeah, I thought he always had a thing for Luke. I was gonna hook him up with my nephew, but the kid up and moved to the west coast. My gaydar's not what it used to be, I guess." Babette leaned her elbow on the table and propped her head up with her hand, watching the crowd. "Looks like they're gettin' ready to toss the bouquet. I heard they're not doin' the garter thing."

"Pity, I was looking forward to seeing just how red Luke's face could get removing it in front of everyone."

Babette cackled and the two women watched chaos ensue.

* * *

"Luke," Lorelai whispered.

"Lorelai," Luke mumbled in his half-asleep state, leaning to press a kiss against her head as it rested against his collar bone.

"I was just thinking," she began, sitting up slightly, "Do you remember the day I gave you the tour of the Dragonfly?"

"Please tell me you're not thinking of Shel the chicken man not ten minutes after we-"

"Shel! That was his name! But no, I was thinking about how we had talked about the score."

"The score?" Luke rubbed his hand across his face, "I'm sorry, what?"

"I told you something like... you had managed to at least get married and you said at least I had a kid. We're even now, _and_ we managed to get our asses in gear before anyone could move up the scoreboard. We each had a kid, and we've both been married, but even better, now _we're_ married and we're step-parents to each other's kids."

"You woke me up for that?"

"You weren't asleep yet."

Luke yawned and shook his head in amusement as he looked up at the face grinning down at him, "I remember the conversation. Vividly. And I'm glad any scoring on that front is now done by the two of us, together."

"Scoring. I like scoring. There's been lots of scoring tonight." Lorelai grinned widely, running her finger across his collarbone.

"Believe me, I know." Luke chuckled, brushing her finger away as he smiled up at her. "And now, if you want one more round at bat before brunch, you need to let your husband sleep for a few hours."

Lorelai gasped gleefully and slid back down, resting her head back against Luke's chest, "I think that was the best wedding in Stars Hollow history."

"They'll be talking about it for decades," Luke replied, uncertain if he actually liked that idea. "Especially Lulu taking out Justine, Gypsy, and Tilly to grab the bouquet. Gypsy never quite seemed like the bouquet grabbing type to me, but man was she pissed."

"If there's a chance to win, Gypsy's there. Tilly was pretty upset, too," Lorelai yawned. "He proposed on the porch as they were leaving, you know."

"What? Kirk? Our porch? I mean, the Dragonfly's porch, but our spot?"

"Mmhmm," Lorelai answered, feeling sleep tugging at her consciousness. "He was pretty wasted, so I hope he remembers."

"Did he even have a ring?"

"He used one of the twist-ties holding the bags of L&L M&M's together."

Luke laughed and touched his thumb to his own ring, spinning it around his finger. Lorelai felt his hand moving and could guess what he was doing. She slid her own hand up his chest to look down at the wedding ring that sat perfectly against her engagement ring, and then up at Luke's hand.

"Looks good on you," Lorelai smiled, pressing a kiss to his chest.

"Feels good, too," Luke dropped his left hand on his chest, sliding it over to Lorelai's left hand and weaving their fingers together so their rings touched.

"Dirty."

"Go to sleep, wife."

* * *

 _Author's Notes: I have so wanted to gather the matriarchs (Mia, Maisy, and Emily) in one place at one time, and this was the place to do it. I so could've given them this entire chapter, but that wouldn't be fair to the others. ;)_

 _While I answered the "Gay or European?" question regarding Michel, I waffled a bit on which direction to go. In the end, I thought making him straight was a little more surprising and funny (since, really, I would guess he's probably gay, and I think that's usually the case in every fic I've read). Shout-out to "Daisy" for requesting a Michel/Sookie scene and a Rory/grandparents discussion about Luke when I requested people who she wanted to see get some focus at the reception._

 _The wedding may be over, but the story isn't! More to come soon!  
(I cannot believe there are only ten chapters left...)_

 _I hope this made you smile. Editing it lifted my mood considerably, something I desperately needed today._


	32. Looking Ahead

**Chapter 32: Looking Ahead**

"Did you sleep at all last night? No, wait, I didn't mean to ask that. Standard reaction to a tired face. Disregard," Rory hefted her plate as she made her way behind Lorelai at the post-wedding brunch.

"Not much," Lorelai grinned, winking at Patty over the buffet.

"I said _don't_ answer that," Rory glared. "To change the subject slightly, I didn't get much sleep either. April and I were up all night putting that together," she nodded toward the poster-sized collage of Luke and Lorelai set up at the entryway to the Dragonfly's restaurant.

"Luke and I were laughing at that when we got here. I didn't know half those photos existed."

"Well, they do. The town's been playing paparazzi for years, it turns out," Rory followed Lorelai to the table Luke and April were already seated at. "Kirk had the most. It was kinda creepy, but April had a blast seeing some of Luke's old high school photos in one of the albums."

"Oooh, I wouldn't mind seeing that myself," Lorelai replied, her smile widening as she took her place next to Luke. "Hello, husband."

"Hello, wife," he replied returning her smile, and wrapping his arm around the back of her chair as she scooted it a few inches closer to him.

April shared a helpless grin with Rory and asked, "Think it'll always be like this?"

"No idea," Rory shrugged. "It's too bad we have to take them home with us."

"Sorry to inconvenience you, but I couldn't keep bumping my guests. As it is, my mother wouldn't let me hear the end of the fact that I opened my post-wedding brunch to the entire inn, even though half of Stars Hollow is hungover and still in bed," Lorelai sighed, diving into her waffle. "You two ready to see the house after this?"

"So ready," April replied, excitedly. "I've already devised a system of which books will live there and which will live at Mom's. At first I thought I'd separate them by subject matter, but that seemed inefficient since I don't want to have to bounce between houses depending on what I need. Instead, I'm doing it alphabetically, pulling every other name from each subject and leaving some at our house and some with you guys. That way I get a diverse range."

"We should compare, too, so we don't wind up with duplicates of books we both have," Rory replied.

"Oooh, good call. I already have the ones I left in Woodbridge catalogued on my computer since I had to divide and conquer once already when we moved to New Mexico. Mom limited the book boxes," April chewed her toast thoughtfully, "I can't wait until June. Did you guys talk to Mom about a new visitation schedule yet?"

Luke looked at her in surprise, "Uh, no, we're not worrying about that for awhile."

"Oh. Well she is. She's already been asking me what I want, which I thought was a really nice change of tune after forcing you to drag her to court last time," April grinned as she saw the surprised, but pleased reactions from her father and step-mother. "I thought you'd enjoy hearing that. I'm aiming for fifty-fifty to start with, but I have a feeling it'll end up more in her favor. Still, that's better than the current arrangement, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Luke glanced over at Lorelai uneasily, and she shrugged slightly in response. "I think it's good she's considering your thoughts on the matter."

"Agreed. It's been nice to talk about." April smiled at Rory knowingly.

"Talking has been continuing?" Rory asked.

"Continuing. Improving. It's still not Team Nardini, but it's better than it's been in awhile," April shrugged.

"Well, that's good to hear," Lorelai replied, squeezing Luke's knee. "Anyway, there's paint swatches at the house, too. I'm not allowed to touch them, but if you would like my thoughts on anything, you are welcome to show me which pai-"

"Lorelai," Luke rolled his eyes. "Pick whatever you want for your rooms. No rush, but if you want it painted before Christmas, now's the time."

Rory shrugged, "Go neutral with mine. Just whatever white-ish color you're using on the majority of the house, and probably in the other bedrooms. If we're mostly just moving my current bedroom into it, the posters and crap will cover most of it."

Lorelai frowned. She'd hoped she'd be able to talk Rory into a little redecorating while she was home.

"Are you sure? Because we've got some time before you go, and I thought-"

"Mom, I really don't care all that much. Months of travel has taught me to mostly concern myself with mattress quality." Rory pointed her fork at her mother between bites, " _That_ is something we can do. New bed. Since you _sold_ my bed, and that trundle is not only hideous, it clearly belongs in a child's bedroom, I'd like a new bed, new mattress. We can go rolling around on test ones."

"Okay, can we just clarify that your dad picked out the trundle, not me?" Lorelai defended herself, "New bed _and_ bedding, then. At least if you pick out new bedding it can give me some kind of hint as to what to do with the rest of your room. Sound good?"

"Sounds great." Rory looked over at April. "You gonna do this while you're here or just decorate gradually between now and June?"

"Oh, I want to squeeze as much in as possible. I had Dad send me the dimensions, so I've been playing with a few ideas," April grinned excitedly. "And whatever ideas I can't fit in here, I can use for redecorating my room at Mom's house when we move back."

Rory looked up with a smile as her grandparents approached, "Good morning! You two slept in later than I expected."

"Oh, hardly, we've been up for hours," Emily smiled back, dropping her hands onto Rory's shoulders and squeezing them. "We went for a walk. I didn't realize how much of the inn we hadn't seen until yesterday, and we wanted to see a bit more. It was beautiful."

"Oh, you should've told me," Lorelai said, frowning, "We have a few maps, or I could've had Duncan saddle up Cletus and Desdemona for you."

Emily shot Lorelai a scathing glance, "The horses? No thank you. And that defeats the purpose of getting in a little exercise, anyway. We found our way around. How are we all doing this morning?"

"Fantastic," April replied after she swallowed a forkful of eggs, "We were just talking about decorating our rooms in the new house."

Lorelai glanced down and reached for her coffee mug, shaking her head as she readied herself for her mother's reply.

"Really! I can call one of my decorators. It's a nice house it should..." Emily paused, eyeing her daughter with annoyance. "What, Lorelai?"

"It's a nice house, we know what we're doing with it already, and the girls don't want anything fancy," Lorelai bit her lip as she felt Luke nudge her with his leg, and saw her mother's eyebrows furrowing, "We appreciate the offer, but it's not needed. Besides, you've done more than enough already."

"Well, all right. The offer's there if you change your mind." Emily replied lightly.

"We're going over there later if you'd like to join us," Luke offered, then snapped his head toward Lorelai as he felt her fist connect with his thigh.

"That's quite all right, Luke," Richard shook his head. "We have a few antique shops we planned to stop by while we're out this way. We'll be leaving after brunch."

"Don't sneak out," Lorelai smiled, trying not to let her relief show. "If we're not in here, we're probably packing up the suite, so just head that way."

Emily and Richard nodded, then turned to join Mia and Howard at their table, causing Lorelai's jaw to drop.

"What the hell is that?" Lorelai stared, still gaping.

Rory grinned, "It happened just before the reception. First, Grandma overheard Mia talking to Justine about some of the art that was in the Independence Inn, and the two of them wound up talking at length about colonial American art. And while they did that, Grandpa and Howard bonded over golf. The four of them spent a lot of time together last night."

Lorelai shook her head disbelievingly and leaned her head into her hand, staring as the mother from the first half of her life laughed over something with the mother from the second half of her life.

"Is this not the craziest thing you've ever seen?" Lorelai moved her head slightly to address her daughter.

"I watched you two finally get married yesterday," Rory smirked, "So no, not the craziest thing."

* * *

"I have no idea which room I want." April frowned, staring at the two smaller empty bedrooms, "Do you have any opinions?"

"I want our parents' room, frankly," Rory gazed at the double doors leading to the master suite. "Did you see those closets? I could turn one into a reading room."

"Except for, y'know, that whole library downstairs," April smirked. "I don't know, I think I'm kinda drawn to this one, minus the pink walls."

"All right," Rory nodded, venturing into the other room and gazing around. She liked that it was more square than her old room, and definitely bigger. As odd as it felt to be regarding it as her new future bedroom, it wasn't as strange as she'd expected. Whether it was because of a shift in her own perspective of home, or the circumstances surrounding the move entirely, she wasn't sure.

"This the one?"

Rory turned to find her mother leaning against the doorframe.

"Seems that way," Rory answered. "I wasn't really drawn to one over the other, and April eventually decided that one was calling her, so..." she shrugged.

"What do you think of the house?" Lorelai asked, watching Rory's face carefully.

"It's nice. But not too nice. I like that there are some imperfections. It's not at all something I would've guessed Grandma would pick out." Rory thought for a moment, "Inside, it reminds me of our house, in a way. I can't explain it, really. It's like the grownup version of the Crap Shack with less crap per square foot? And walk-in closets?"

Lorelai laughed, "Works for me. So you can see us living here?"

"If I say no will you make sure Grandma keeps it for me instead?" Rory teased. "Yeah, I can see it. You and Luke and two little replacement clones of me and April."

"Hey," Lorelai frowned, concerned. "No kids of ours would replace you, or April for that matter. You don't really think that do you?"

"Of course not," Rory smiled reassuringly. "I didn't mean it that way at all. But it would be pretty funny, wouldn't it?"

"Poor Luke, surrounded by all that estrogen and X chromosomes," Lorelai chuckled, then glanced out the window to admire the tree-filled view. "Y'know what I think I'm going to miss the most in the long run?" When Rory shook her head, Lorelai gave her a sad smile, "Babette. As nice as it'll be to have a little more privacy, she's been a good friend and neighbor."

"Aw, sad. Though, you know, she's going to miss Paul Anka. You're going to open the door to find her on the porch every few days asking for some time with him."

"Funny you say that," Lorelai turned to lead them back downstairs. "At the wedding, she repeatedly reminded me she's still available on nights Luke and I are both working late, or going on vacation, or whatever we might need. So she'll get her Paul Anka fix just fine."

"Good," Rory walked back into the library to find April counting shelves, and the two began discussing organizational ideas.

Lorelai shook her head as the two suddenly began to fill their roles as resident librarians of the room, and walked outside to join Luke on the porch.

"Did I just hear squealing?" he smiled wryly as she sat on the porch railing nearby.

"They're planning out their library."

"That must've been April. She told me once she had more books shoved into her dresser than clothes," Luke chuckled.

"Rory used to do that, too. How did we wind up with such weirdos? I mean, I offered to buy Rory bookshelves more than once and she glared at me every time. Like I was offending her by implying her system wasn't good enough."

"April did the same when I offered to build some for her. Guess this will be a nice change of pace."

"Yeah," Lorelai smiled, taking his hand. "Rory's jealous of our balcony. She said our room isn't a master bedroom so much as a master suite."

"You know, I wanted to build a balcony back when we were renovating your house, but then I realized Babette would pick up on anything we talked about when sitting out there."

"Talked about... or did," she winked flirtatiously.

Luke snorted, shaking his head, "Anyway, not a problem here."

"True. Though East Side Tillie's sister lives just down the block," Lorelai told him, "Patty was very concerned when I told her where the house was. Gotta love the Stars Hollow gossip queens. I promised her an exclusive for any big, breaking news."

Luke rolled his eyes with a groan. So much for escaping that aspect of Stars Hollow life. He heard Rory laugh loudly from inside, and he and Lorelai exchanged another smile. "Were any decisions regarding paint made?"

"Rory's sticking with neutral, April wants the same with a turquoise accent wall. Her nod to her time in New Mexico. I thought it was sweet."

"Yeah, that's neat. You still good with keeping roughly the same colors from our room?"

Lorelai agreed with a nod and wondered if she was being overly sentimental. After all the time she and Luke had spent deciding on paint, wallpaper, tiles, and any number of smaller details when renovating her house, the end result had been perfect. And yet, they'd spent so little time there together. It seemed silly to try and replicate it in the new place, but the similarities in the bedroom's layout made it too good of an opportunity to pass up. Some changes would have to be made, of course. She didn't want too much from her time with Christopher crossing over into the new house.

"I still want to take this painstakingly slow," Lorelai said quietly. "This place is beautiful, it's perfect for us, but... there's no rush and I need the time to adjust or it's gonna freak me out, no matter how happy it makes me to hear Rory and April discussing library plans."

"Snail's pace," Luke replied, moving to stand in front of her. He reached out and rubbed his thumb across her cheek softly, "Just tell me where to be and when."

"Thank you," she smiled gratefully and leaned forward to kiss him. Their lips had only connected for a few seconds when they were interrupted by a groan from April.

"Okay, enough, you two. We're ready to go, if you guys are. Or, y'know, just give Rory the keys and-"

"I'm not driving that thing," Rory scoffed, pointing at the SUV parked in front of the house.

"It's not as bad as it seems, you know," Lorelai rolled her eyes as she fished the keys out of her purse, "If for some reason Luke and I break our legs skiing, you might have to drive us around or something."

"Not worried, you don't ski," she looked at Luke, "Do you ski?"

Luke shook his head, "Winter sports are not my thing. Bad experiences with ice hockey, and too much left to the elements." He plucked the keys from Lorelai's fingers, "I'll drive."

"But I was going to stop for-"

"I'll make some coffee at home. I'm not going anywhere near the diner today."

Lorelai batted her eyelashes at Rory, "He knows me."

* * *

"So what exactly is a snail's pace, in this case?" Rory asked from the bed next to the one her mother was sprawled atop.

"Whatever we want it to be," Lorelai replied, rolling over and propping her head up with her hand to regard her daughter, "I think trying to cram in a move between the honeymoon and Christmas would be a horrible idea, so we'll need to be done by the end of November. We'll just do it gradually between now and then. Ugh, can I skip Thanksgiving this year? It makes me so sad to think of being thankful when my kid's... hey, where are you supposed to be by then?"

"Somewhere in Tennessee, I think. I try not to look too far down the schedule. It changes pretty often, and it just gives me anxiety trying to think that far in advance. I end up trying to plan for those stories in the back of my head," Rory replied. "This mattress is perfect. Not too stiff, not too squishy. I think April might like this better than the one she decided on." Rory called over to April, who was looking at bed frames with her father.

"Tennessee," Lorelai sighed. "Maybe we can drive down and do the restaurant Thanksgiving thing."

"Mom," Rory warned, "This is the first one I'm not gonna be home for, but it's sure not gonna be the last. We both have to get used to it."

Lorelai flopped back onto her back with a heavy sigh; she knew Rory was going to say that, and she was right. She'd been very, very spoiled having her kid around for all but one holiday in the last twenty-three years. But that kind of connection just made it harder to let go.

"Invite Grandma and Grandpa to the diner," Rory suggested.

"Ha! They may have made a lot of concessions in the past year, but I think the idea of trading the good china and silverware for scratched and dinged diner-ware is a bit much to ask." Lorelai smiled as Luke hovered over her, "You sure you don't want to replace the mattress again? This one's ten times better."

Luke glanced at the price tag above her head, "And about ten times as expensive. We've had our's for all of four months. But, hey, if this same one's still here in another ten years, remind me. Price should be lower by then."

Lorelai scoffed and lifted a hand to Luke. He pulled her upright, and she glanced down at Rory and April on the mattress Rory seemed to have chosen.

"Thoughts?" Lorelai asked, and received four thumbs up in response. "Cool."

"So, two twin-sized-" Luke began.

"Full. Upgrades for all," Lorelai replied, looking around for an employee.

April's eyes widened excitedly, "I can actually sleep in the middle of a bed instead of just... in a bed? I am so loving this new house. I've never had a full sized bed before."

Luke immediately dropped the arguments he was about to form when he saw April's face, knowing full well some would call him a sucker. Lorelai had teased him enough about keeping a twin sized bed instead of getting something bigger, and after he'd finally caved, he hadn't realized what he'd been missing, being able to sprawl out. He'd always considered sleep a necessary requirement of living, he hadn't really considered how enjoyable just spreading out in one's bed could be until he'd gotten the bigger one years ago. It was one of many ways Lorelai had unintentionally softened his rough exterior.

"Gonna need a new bed, then; that one you picked out was for a twin," Luke gestured to the section of the store they had just come from, and April leapt up, beckoning Rory to come with her. He wandered over to the section April had chosen the twin bed from to see if a full sized version was available. As he glanced around, Luke's eye caught sight of a small selection of toddler beds and cribs, and he couldn't stop himself from taking a look. He'd never paid much attention to such items before, and the variety of features and styles intrigued him.

His eyes fell on a simple wooden crib, and he tested the side, impressed by how smoothly the railing slid up and down. As he ran his finger over the simple swirls carved into the headboard, he felt Lorelai's arms slide around his waist, her chin resting on his shoulder.

"Bit soon for that, I think," she teased.

"Maybe. Maybe not," he leaned his head against hers.

"True. Time will tell, I guess. It is nice, though," Lorelai squeezed him a little more tightly. Aside from a few jokes last night, getting pregnant hadn't really been on her mind much. She wouldn't be surprised, though, if Luke had thought about it more than he let on.

She turned her head slightly, watching April and Rory, the latter of whom happened to look back and smile as she noticed the section her mother had wandered off to. Lorelai turned back and pressed a kiss to Luke's neck. "Come on, Daddio, let's get beds for the two that currently exist."

Luke nodded distractedly and let her take his hand to pull him in the direction of their daughters. Twenty minutes later, the beds were chosen and the Danes-Gilmore-Nardini family was back at the house, the girls huddled over albums full of photos that the town had dropped off to help create the Luke and Lorelai collage displayed at the brunch.

Lorelai glanced over at Luke who was frowning over the printed receipt from the furniture store, "What's wrong?"

"The delivery date. They set it for Tuesday this week, I asked for next week. I'm gonna run back over there and make sure they fix it," Luke folded the paper and slid it into his pocket.

"Just call, I'm sure you don't need to do that in person," Lorelai suggested.

"I'll feel better if they print out another invoice with the correct date."

"Or we could just leave it at that one. Is it that big of a deal?"

"You'll be at the inn all day that day, I want to paint those rooms before the furniture arrives, and Lulu convinced me to let her book the diner for some Girl Scout luncheon thing that day," Luke said as he pulled his jacket on, "I won't be too long. And I can stop by Doose's on my way home. Any dinner preferences _aside_ from the diner?"

"We've got wedding leftovers we need to put a major dent in," Lorelai replied. "I pawned as much as I could off on people, but there's still a lot." She glanced at Rory and wagged her eyebrows, "And plenty of cake."

"That'll work," Luke nodded, grabbing his keys off the table near the entryway. "Back in a bit."

An hour later, when there was still no sign of Luke, Lorelai, Rory, and April decided leftover wedding cake would be the optimal place to start in the leftovers to tide themselves over until he arrived. April sat with her laptop open on Rory's bed, as Lorelai and Rory went through books in her bedroom, sticking color-coded post-its on certain ones as they were packed.

"So, the boarding school idea is out," April announced as she noticed a notebook with the Chilton crest on it get shoved into a box.

"Oh yeah? What happened?" Lorelai asked, pulling the notebook back out and flipping through it with a nostalgic smile.

"Mom and I were talking about the whole shared custody stuff and I brought it up. Rory, you realize you have two copies of that," she gestured to the copy of 'The Sound and The Fury' in Rory's hand.

"This one's a first edition," Rory said proudly as she ran her hand over the cover. "I have two of every book in this dresser, including a hundred year old Greek version of Leaves of Grass. These are all special for one reason or another, so you might want to add that to your spreadsheet. Keep talking."

"Fancy. Well, while we were talking about custody stuff, I kinda mentioned the possibility of not seeing her _or_ you guys during the week at all, and had to elaborate. Fortunately, Mom kept her cool and we had a long talk about it. She brought up a lot of good points, like not really getting to enjoy being back home again as much as I'd probably prefer to," April opened her web browser and pulled up a page with a handful of links, turning it to show Lorelai. "So, instead, we spent a few days looking into private schools in the area and I put this list together."

Lorelai wrinkled her nose, pointing to the second one on the list, "Take that one off."

"Putnam Hall? They have an excellent science department and a ton of connections to really good universities. What's the deal with it?" April asked.

"It's a little snotty."

"Aren't all private schools?" April cocked her head, laughing.

Rory turned around with a smirk, "I don't know, Mom, she might be able to wear a vintage private school uniform on the first day and be the coolest kid around."

Lorelai threw a pillow at her daughter, "First of all, I object to the word vintage being used to describe _anything_ I have owned in my life as I am far too young to associate myself with that word." She launched another pillow at Rory's head, "And second, don't get her hopes up, I burned those when I dropped out."

"Ohhh, I see," April nodded, laughing, "So you were an ousted member of the Wolfpack."

"I don't think it counts as ousted when you want to leave as much as they want you gone," Lorelai chuckled. "They do have a swim team though, and a pretty big athletics department. Go wolves," she rolled her eyes.

"That's what I liked. Not a lot of prep schools are into the sports thing, and I do still want to be on a swim team." April cringed slightly as she looked at Lorelai, "Is it really bad there?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's different if you want to be there," Lorelai patted April's leg as she slid off the bed, "Don't listen to me, my experience was different from most, and it wouldn't have mattered what school I was at, I would've hated it. Except maybe Stars Hollow High. But then I would've had a crush on that sexy senior track star, Butch Danes."

April giggled and glanced back at her laptop screen, "You know anything about any of these other schools?"

"No, but Rory might from her extensive private school research years ago. My mom absolutely will, but keep in mind you'll be hearing it from an Emily Gilmore perspective, not a normal person," Lorelai paused in the doorway. "Luke's been gone way too long, I'm gonna call and make sure he didn't decide this whole marriage thing wasn't worth it afterall."

Lorelai watched Rory hop on the bed next to April as they went through her list. She pulled her cell phone off the kitchen table, glancing down at it as she walked into the living room. She speed dialed Luke and plopped onto the couch next to Paul Anka, running her hand through his fur as she waited.

"Yeah, hey," Luke answered.

"Yeah, hey, hubby," Lorelai teased, "Had enough of married life already?"

"Nah, I ended up talking to Ron a little and decided to add the matching dressers for April and Rory's beds. Thought it'd be a nice surprise when they get here for Christmas. I sold the piece of junk April was using at Ed's yard sale, and Rory's furniture is all ancient and not in the best condition, so I figured it might be a good idea. Just took awhile to get everything sorted and get the delivery dates right this time," Luke cringed as he glanced at the clock in his car, "Sorry, I didn't mean to take so long, I'm about ten minutes away."

"You're nice." Lorelai smiled, and began pulling containers of leftovers out of the refrigerator. "Some of the leftovers are better off heated on the stove instead of the microwave, I'm sure, and while I wouldn't go to those lengths, I know you're picky about that kind of thing."

"Uh, yeah, I'll handle that when I get there." Luke said, shoving two receipts into the depths of his truck's glove compartment as he drove.

"Pedal to the medal, hon, we're dying of starvation here," Lorelai replied, ending the call. She piled the leftovers on the counter, took one last glance in Rory's room and walked upstairs to start unpacking her overnight bag. As she hung the garment bag holding her wedding dress in her closet, she saw Rory appear in the doorway.

"I'm really glad you didn't buy a new one," Rory smiled softly. "You looked amazing, and I don't think any other dress was quite as perfect."

"No, it was just perfect enough, I think."

"Hey, I never was able to figure out... your something borrowed was my necklace from Luke, the dress was your something new, but what was the old and blue?"

"The diamond earrings were the something old. They belonged to Mom's mom. My grandmother, I guess, though I don't really remember meeting her. Apparently, they were among the things she left to me. I used to wear them when I played princess as a kid. Mom always told me they'd stretch my ears because they were too heavy, but I wore them anyway, and my lobes are just fine."

"Of course you did." Rory chuckled. "And the something blue?" Lorelai's response was a sly grin and a raised eyebrow and Rory held up a hand. "Got it. Luke's home and heating stuff up. We're just about to dive in, if you wanna join us."

"Oooh, yes. I'll be right down." Lorelai said, turning back to her dress as Rory nodded and left. As soon as she was sure Rory was downstairs, she readjusted the garment bag's hanger to face her and unzipped it. She ran her finger across the ivory sash on her dress with a smile, still not quite believing yesterday had actually happened. Her thoughts drifted back to the previous day as she continued idly stroking it.

"Luke was right. You weren't too perfect," Lorelai addressed her dress quietly. "You were just trying to tell me the timing wasn't right." She drew a shaky breath, "We're not supposed to talk about what ifs anymore, and now that I'm finally here, I have to say... we weren't ready... back then. I'll always regret the pain we caused, but... I wouldn't have appreciated what I have nearly as much then as I do now. It was worth waiting for, as hard as it was to do."

Lorelai ran her hand down the dress's length one final time before zipping the bag up with a proud smile. She adjusted the rings on her left hand and stared down at them a little disbelievingly as she walked downstairs, then paused at the bottom. Her smile widened as she listened to April and Rory burst into laughter at something Luke had said. She stood in the doorway to the kitchen, regarding her family: two girls brought into this world unexpectedly and the one man she'd chosen time and time again; it was no longer possible to imagine life without all three.

As Lorelai's eyes met Luke's, she blinked back a few tears. Perhaps leaving the "what-if's" and "what-might-have-been's" behind wouldn't be as difficult as she'd thought.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: I loved Rory's old bed. The trundle that replaced it in s7 so ugly by comparison. Stupid Christopher._

 _Dear god, the sap, the fluff! It's okay, though, the next chapter adds a bit more gravity.  
Since this, and that one, are a bit shorter, I should have ch33 edited and posted in a few hours. See ya there!_


	33. As It Was

**Chapter 33: As It Was**

Lorelai adjusted her ponytail and surveyed the mass of boxes surrounding her near-empty bedroom. She'd been packing slowly to avoid having to go back downstairs, where she knew Luke and several others were busy loading boxes into the moving truck. Although she knew it was time for her and Luke to finally get a good, solid start on their middle, it didn't make saying goodbye to her beginning any easier.

As she heard Luke's boots on the stairs, she quickly glanced back down in the box, pretending to situate a newly placed item.

"Oh, wow you're almost done," Lorelai heard from behind her and turned to smile tightly at its origin.

"Yeah," she replied, taking a deep breath as she made eye contact with Luke.

"You okay?"

"Not really..." she shrugged and bit her lip, "It's been a rough week."

"Yeah. Never too late to back out, though," Luke offered.

Lorelai turned to look up at him, shaking her head, "It was too late the second we offered Lane this place. And, anyway, it's fine, it's just harder than I expected is all. I'll be okay. Did you need something?"

"Oh, yeah," Luke answered as he moved in front of her to stack a few of the boxes cluttering the area. "So there's a box I pulled from the back of the closet. Says Max on it. Not sure what it is, but I figured it wasn't my place to open it."

"Forgot that was in there," Lorelai laughed to herself. "Um, leave it out, I'll go through it before we leave. Probably just going to get tossed, but can't hurt to make sure."

"What's in it?"

"You can probably guess," she glanced up at Luke as he looked at her expectantly. "Well, we went through the Luke boxes together. The Max box is... the Max box."

"Oh," Luke replied. "You do this with all your old relationships?"

Lorelai nodded, "Passed it onto Rory, too. Though I don't think she made one for the last relationship with Dean. Definitely had a Jess box. Of course, Rory being Rory, she went through all her ex boxes back in June. I'd completely forgotten I still had any."

Luke rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully as he glanced around the near-empty room, "So you were gonna toss my boxes, but Max's box is still here?"

"Couldn't keep the Luke boxes, they had to go. The point is, you fill them, hide them from yourself, and eventually it's okay to reopen them," she smiled a little, "The Luke boxes would not have been able to follow suit, because it would have never been okay to reopen them. I would've fallen apart all over again."

"Got it," Luke nodded understandingly. "So, uh, what happened to the Chris box?"

"Well," Lorelai stood, reaching for the last few items to add to the box she was packing. "There wasn't a Chris box. Oh, I mean, there was when I was young. A few times. But... no Chris box needed for the final breakup. I think my mom said it best, you know, I was sad, but I wasn't devastated. Hell, we still had the TV he bought downstairs until it just so happened to break when you were taking it off the wall yesterday."

"I didn't break it. He had it mounted wrong. I loosened it just slightly, and it came crashing down. I was more concerned with shoving your dog out of the way than grabbing the TV," Luke explained. "Besides, that thing was never level in the first place, and it always bugged me. I'll buy you a new one. Something even better."

* * *

Luke took a deep breath as he started the moving truck. He stared at the back of the woman visible through the curtain-less window as he waited for Jackson to hop in next to him, still slightly disappointed it wasn't Lorelai joining him. He'd envisioned them taking one final glance at the empty living room and piling into the moving truck together as they left Lorelai's old house for the last time.

That hadn't happened.

As he hovered near the entryway, Lorelai had looked over at him, eyes shining and arms wrapped tightly around herself. She'd told Luke to go on ahead and she'd follow in the jeep in a little while.

She'd warned him a few days prior that it was going to be a difficult goodbye, and that he shouldn't take it personally, or as a reflection on how she felt about the future. Even so, he still hadn't been prepared for just how difficult.

Luke knew the worst part of the move was losing her connection to Rory. Since Rory had left for the press tour back in June, so many of Lorelai's phone conversations with her daughter had taken place while she sat on Rory's bed, usually with her arms around one of the pillows or holding that stuffed chicken. He understood her need to take her time saying goodbye. Of course, understanding didn't make leaving his wife standing in her living room, about to break into tears, any easier.

"She gonna be okay?" Jackson asked, nodding toward the house.

"I hope so," Luke replied roughly, his chest aching as he watched Lorelai sink down until only the back of her head was visible. He whipped his head to look ahead of him as soon as he saw her head tip forward slightly, not wanting to witness her breaking down even from this distance. If he did, he'd run back in, and he knew she needed some time to herself.

Luke and Jackson discussed one of the latest proclamations from Taylor as they drove the short distance to the new house. Sookie shot Luke a look of confusion when her husband hopped out of the moving truck instead of Lorelai.

"Lorelai's not staging a sit-in, is she?" Sookie asked as she handed both men bottles of water.

"Nah, just... y'know. Needed a minute," Luke replied, giving Sookie a knowing look.

"How bad did she look?" she asked, her brow furrowing in concern.

"Uh, worse than I expected." Before Sookie could object to him leaving her best friend alone in such a state, Luke added, "Don't worry, Sookie, if she's not back in an hour, I'll head back over. She asked me to leave, and I don't want her putting on a strong front. She's gotta to let it go, and I've gotta to let her do that in whatever way she needs to."

"Yeah, true," Sookie sighed heavily. "Well, anyway, I was tempted to rearrange the kitchen," she held her hands up as Luke was about to object, "I didn't, I didn't! I was only tempted! I spent a few minutes looking around, and now I get your system. It's interesting. There's really not much left for me to do here, though."

"There's not much left to do because we've spent the last month moving," Luke walked around to unlatch the back of the moving truck.

Sookie nodded and looked over as Jackson, TJ, and a few others walked over. "Well, the furniture's all in place, and aside from these ones, the boxes that aren't unpacked yet are at least in their designated rooms." She hesitated for a moment, "You sure you don't want me to go check on Lorelai?"

Luke shook his head, "Let her say goodbye, Sookie. I promise, she's my first priority," he gestured to the boxes in the truck, "I don't really need to be here to unload these. If she wanted someone there, I would've stayed."

"All right, all right," Sookie said resignedly. "Well, I'm going to go pick up the food and check on the kids."

"Food?" Luke asked, hopping into the truck to start moving boxes toward the edge for Jackson and Andrew.

"Lorelai mentioned getting take-out, but I know you guys have done that a lot the last few days, so I threw together enough to feed a small army."

Luke glanced down with an appreciative smile, "Thanks, I am definitely not in the mood to cook."

"Anytime," Sookie smiled back, walking toward her car.

Luke took a breath and pulled out his phone, stepping aside just in time to see TJ grab the smallest box in the truck with a groan.

* * *

"I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper - through our politics, our policies, and in our daily lives. It's time to do that once more. It's time to reclaim the American dream."

Barack Obama finished his speech to a crowd full of cheers, and Rory quickly pulled her phone out of her pocket. It had vibrated a few times earlier, but her focus had been on the speech. She rolled her eyes, realizing her mother had messed with her address book again in October. "Luke" had, apparently, been replaced with "Step-Daddio".

 _if u have tim please call your mmom asap. thx_

 _tim not tim_

 _TIME. I HATE CELL PONES._

Rory had intended to wait until she got back to her hotel to make the requisite post-move phone call, but if Luke was actually texting, maybe it would be a better idea to call sooner. She replied, letting him know she was on it, and bolted outside the auditorium, pressing number one on her keypad as she speed-walked over to a bench within viewing range of the bus.

"Hey, kid," came the strained voice. Rory could already feel herself getting emotional at her mother's pained tone.

"Hey," Rory replied. "How ya doin'?"

"Oh, um. Good. You know. Just, um. Staring at an empty living room. Been about thirteen years since I've seen this. Even when we renovated, I never saw it completely empty."

"Yeah," Rory swallowed, frowning at the half-sob, half-laugh that came from the other end of the phone. "This is hard, huh?"

"God, Rory. I just... I wish you were here, you know? I shouldn't be doing this without you here."

"I'm so sorry, Mom, I wish I could be there," Rory shut her eyes tightly and moved the phone away from her mouth, taking several deep breaths, trying desperately not to let herself get too swept away by the sounds coming from the other end of the phone. One of them needed to hold it together. "Mom... hey. Mom, take a breath."

After a few more sobs, Lorelai finally managed to take a deep, jagged breath. She leaned her forehead against her knees, her free arm wrapped around her shins. It was easier to talk if she wasn't staring at her empty house. "I made Luke pack up the living room and move everything out of your room. I couldn't do it. I packed up your clothes and the kitchen and hid upstairs the last two days, packing up the bedroom and bathroom."

"That's okay, I'm sure he understands."

"He did. He's been great."

"Where is he now?" Rory asked.

"At the new house. Um, the house. I guess I don't have to make the distinction anymore. I made him leave without me. I just... I needed to say goodbye alone. I know I'll be back here to see Lane and Zack and the boys, but it'll be different then. And it'll be their's, really."

"You're still okay with that? Because maybe I pushed you too hard. I mean, Mia told me to ease up on moving stuff, and I tried, but then with the house and everything, I think I got too caught up in the idea. I loved that Grandma and Grandpa kept the house for you and Luke, and-"

"No," Lorelai sniffed, shaking her head. "No, Rory, you didn't push too hard. It helped me decide, sure, but it helped in a good way, a reassuring way. Even that night in August when you told me we'd be moving, god, I feel so awful now, getting mad at you for that... but you put the idea in my head, and I forced myself to start adjusting to the idea of moving from that point on. And I thought... I really thought I'd be okay. But the last few days, as we got to the final point in the whole moving process..."

"The enormity of it all finally hit you."

"Yeah. And I hate that we're not sitting here eating, I don't know, what did we eat that first night? Pizza? Yeah, it was pizza, on a blanket right in the middle of the living room, like we were having a picnic."

Rory closed her eyes again, remembering. They'd walked in the door after Lorelai finished at the inn, and turned on the lamp sitting on a small table they'd had back at the shed - a rickety old thing Lorelai had picked up for a dollar at a yard sale with her first paycheck. Rory suggested sitting on the stairs, but Lorelai had, instead, run upstairs, returning with the quilt from her bed - the one made of Rory's baby clothes - and they'd each grabbed a side, laying it on the floor.

They'd left the pizza box on the wood floor to keep the grease off the blanket, and eaten their dinner on napkins, giggling excitedly over their new house as they planned what would go where, and fantasized about what the living room might look like.

Later, Lorelai put a tape in an old, bright pink cassette player, and they danced. The same actions were repeated on a near nightly basis, their dance floor shrinking with each passing month as it was slowly furnished.

The process of adding furniture and decorations to the living room had happened gradually over the course of a year. Money was tight, and every time Lorelai had saved up enough to add another item, they'd check the Stars Hollow Gazette for yard sales. In the meantime, a lot of random items were brought home as Mia slowly redecorated various areas of the inn as well. The couch, the most expensive purchase, was the last thing to move in. Lorelai had been ecstatic that it covered the warped floorboard that they'd both tripped over several times.

"Hey, Mom, remember that floorboard that stuck up like three inches? Is that still there?"

"Nah, Luke fixed that years ago."

"You never told me that."

Lorelai giggled amid her tears, "It was way before we dated. I was doing that annual cleaning thing where I actually clean the place from top to bottom and the damn couch was too heavy to move without a second person. I wanted to do the living room before you came home from school, so I got coffee and begged Luke for help. He saw it, I argued that the couch covered it, but there he was the next day with Bert and a replacement piece of wood, already stained to match."

"He's a good man, that Luke."

"Yeah," Lorelai said softly.

"Likes fixing things..." Rory smiled a little sadly, "I think it makes him sad he can't fix the way you're feeling right now. He texted me. I wasn't going to call until later tonight, but... he never texts."

"He hates texting."

"And cell pones in general."

"Pones?" Lorelai asked, and Rory explained the text, smiling when she heard her mom genuinely laugh in response.

"Mom? Don't stay there too much longer, okay?"

"I won't. I was gonna wait until I was done crying and call you," Lorelai took a deep breath, "I didn't want you to hear that."

"It's okay, I'm glad you did. I would've been worried if you called sounding... chipper."

"Chipper? Probably stuffed up and hoarse, like I am now. God, I'm a mess," Lorelai dried her cheeks with the sleeves of her sweatshirt. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... you called kind of at the height of it, and... seeing your name on the caller ID..."

"Don't apologize, I'm always here for anything. Crying, laughing... you know that." Rory noticed a few reporters heading toward the bus and, wanting to seem as unapproachable as possible, rested her elbows on her knees and leaned forward, resting her forehead in her palm.

"Thanks. How are you doing, sweets? I didn't even ask."

"I had my moment a bit after I watched you and Luke leave when you met me for dinner a few days after the wedding. But, really, leaving that first time in June... I think I cried it all out then. I knew that by accepting a job that would require travel for a year and a half, I was also accepting that there was going to be a lot happening I wouldn't be there for."

"We got really lucky, though. You've been home twice."

"And I'll be back again next month, too."

Lorelai stared down at the immaculate wood floor next to her, "And after that, not for a long time."

"Let's not worry about that yet, huh?" Rory suggested, starting to feel her own emotions pushing her to the point of tears. She blinked a few times and took a breath. "Let me rephrase that. I _need_ to not think about that, and I need to not be _worrying_ that you're thinking about it."

"You're right, we've got enough on our plate." Lorelai pushed herself up to stand and walked to the middle of the room, finding the exact spot where the warped floorboard once was. She crouched down and found the nearly invisible line where Luke had fitted the replacement piece against the existing wood. She could still find it even after the floors had been refinished during the remodel. She ran her finger across it a few times. He really was good at fixing things. She pulled the phone away from her ear for a moment to check the time and cringed, knowing she should leave soon. "I can't believe I've almost been here an hour."

"I can, you sound like you've been screaming at a concert all night."

"Yeah. I'll just tell them that's where I ran off to. U2 had an impromptu concert in my living room, or something."

"I'm sure that'll go over well," Rory stood, realizing she was about to be one of the last people on the bus. "Mom, I'm getting on the bus, in case it gets noisy in a few seconds."

"No, I should let you go," Lorelai winced at her choice of words, "I mean, hang up with you for now. I have enough to try and let go of tonight."

"Hey, do you have internet at the new, um, the house yet?"

"Yeah, we're using one of the bigger bedrooms as an office, so we had that installed last week," Lorelai cocked her head curiously as she stood and walked to the kitchen. "Why do you ask?" She leaned against the doorframe to Rory's bedroom, imagining it as it looked not so long ago.

"Look up the senator's speech from tonight when you get a chance. It was a good speech."

"Did he talk about letting go of your kid and the life you built with her?"

"No, but you raised that kid to hear stuff like this in person and write about it," Rory smiled as she walked slowly toward the bus. "I want you to read it and think of that, and understand that the house you're leaving tonight was to get me here, to hear that speech. And many more like it. And who knows what else. Our house did its job. It's okay to let it go."

Lorelai let another few tears escape as she grasped the doorframe. She swallowed hard before answering shakily, "I'll read it and think of that, then. I love you so much, Rory. I wouldn't be here without you either."

"In my room?"

Caught off guard, Lorelai laughed, "You always know."

"Because I know _you_. I'm about to get on the bus. Do you want me to call later?"

"No, you have an article to write. I'll be okay. Thank you for calling."

"Thank Luke for texting me."

"I will. I love you, kid."

"Love you too, Mom."

Lorelai waited, making sure Rory hung up first, as she always did. She stuffed her phone in her pocket and looked around Rory's room one last time, imagining two boys sharing it. Luke was coming by later in the week to paint it the bright blue color Zack and Lane had picked out. Lorelai had made Luke promise to wait until she'd said goodbye to do it, and he'd been offended that she'd think he'd even consider doing otherwise.

Lorelai ran her finger over each tiny nail hole, remembering every single thing that had been hung in each spot over the years. The first artwork on the walls had been coloring pages they'd worked on together and torn out of Rory's coloring book. The travel posters came later, one at a time, slowly replacing homemade artwork.

She thought back to the morning she'd escaped the madness of the smoldering Independence Inn. She'd needed a break from the chaos, and more importantly, Rory needed to not second guess her decision to choose Yale by seeing Harvard plastered everywhere. So, Lorelai gave herself just over an hour. She sped to New Haven to spend a good chunk of money at the Yale gift shop, stopped at a Kinkos to blow up a photo, then came back, and quickly decorated Rory's room.

She wondered where Lane's sons would end up... if the life of the room's previous occupant would inspire them to pursue academics, or if they'd choose to follow their parents into music. Maybe one of them would be the Taylor of the next generation of Stars Hollow residents. She chuckled to herself over that idea and, thinking of Luke, realized she really should get back to the new house. The house.

"Goodbye, old friend," Lorelai whispered as she locked the door behind her.

The drive to her new home was quiet. She decided against turning on any music, letting the familiar sounds of the jeep comfort her.

Luke hadn't heard Lorelai's jeep pull up, and was watching with disgust as the group of men quickly consumed the entirety of the food Sookie had prepared, talking and laughing as they each ate their third serving. He was relieved he'd at least set aside a plate for Lorelai before they attacked it. As he was about to make a comment that they should hurry up, finish eating, and get out of his house, he heard the front door open. He immediately made eye contact with Sookie, who'd been watching with the same annoyance he'd felt.

"Go. I'll deal with this," she gestured, and began barking at their group of friends to wrap it up and hit the road.

Luke ran down the entry way and nearly tackled his wife as she set her purse down on one of the tables.

"I was about five minutes from leaving to check on you," Luke murmured into her hair. He felt her cheek, still warm from crying, against his neck and held her a little more tightly.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't realize how late it had gotten," she replied, wrinkling her nose at how hoarse her voice still sounded. "I thought I'd need fifteen minutes tops."

"I figured you'd need an hour," Luke pulled back to get a good look at her, running his thumbs across the streaks the tears had left. "You okay?" When she nodded, he frowned. "Lorelai."

"I am. You sent me Rory."

"You needed her."

Lorelai nodded pressing her head into his hand as she shut her eyes briefly, "Thank you." She inhaled deeply, seeking to breathe in Luke's familiar scent and frowned, "Do I smell food?"

"Sookie made some. I set a plate aside for you, but I'm not sure it'll be enough, and I still haven't had the chance to eat anything. They carried a whopping ten boxes and managed to eat enough food for twenty people."

"It's okay," she smiled slightly, "I brought-"

"Hey, did you bring us pizza, too?!" TJ exclaimed excitedly as he led the troop into the entryway.

"No," Luke replied, moving to stand in front of the box he spotted on the table next to Lorelai. "I've fed you, given you beer, and you've drained a small ocean with the amount of water you've had to drink. Thanks for your help with the move, but I think we've got it from here."

TJ frowned, sniffing the air suspiciously as he exited, and Luke and Lorelai thanked the rest of the men as they followed. Sookie was the last out, hugging her friend tightly before leaving.

"So grumpy," Lorelai said, leaning into Luke's chest as the house suddenly went quiet.

"They knew that when they offered to help. Shouldn't be a surprise at this point. And they still overstayed their welcome, _and_ ate all our dinner. Sookie was the one who did all the yelling, though," Luke kissed the top of Lorelai's head and released her. "Come on, let's eat."

"Um, you mind if we do something weird?"

"Uh," Luke eyed her cautiously, knowing one should never agree to a vague question posed by this particular individual, "I _probably_ don't mind..."

Lorelai bent down and picked up an old quilt she'd dropped on the floor, then reached for the pizza box. "Grab the plate you made me, and follow me upstairs. We can split that and share the pizza."

Luke followed her up the stairs and into the bedroom closest to their room - the one that would remain empty until there was a specific reason to fill it. He bumped the light switch with his elbow, dimly illuminating the room with the small lamp they'd temporarily placed on the floor. He watched Lorelai unfold the blanket and she paused, holding one side.

"Grab the other side and help me lay it down?"

Luke nodded, set the plate on the floor, and did as she requested. He watched as Lorelai kneeled down, carefully set the pizza box outside the perimeter of the blanket, and sat cross-legged in the center of the soft fabric, patting the spot next to her. He held up a finger and ran downstairs to retrieve four beers from the refrigerator. After they were settled with food and beer in front of them, Lorelai took a long sip from her bottle and smiled appreciatively at Luke.

"You humored me without needing all the details."

"I think that's required now that we're married," Luke chuckled, "Uh, to some extent."

"Good to know. I'll try not to abuse the privilege... too much." Lorelai glanced around the room before speaking again. "So, when Rory and I moved into... uh, our first house... we didn't have anything but beds, lamps, and a small end table. Our first night, we sat in an empty living room with a box of pizza, on this quilt. I was thinking about that a lot tonight."

Luke glanced down and ran his hand over the soft fabric of the quilt, recalling its origins. He remembered seeing it on Lorelai's bed for years. Likely before she could justify replacing it, or maybe due to the fact that it was made of Rory's old baby clothes. It was worn in a few places now, but was still in decent condition considering its age.

"So we sat there, in our new place, looking at this empty space in front of us, and dreaming up what might fill it. It was nice," she looked intensely into his deep blue eyes as she spoke, "This is the only place in this house right now that's waiting to be filled."

Luke nodded slowly, holding her gaze as he spoke, "I don't like pink or blue walls."

Lorelai smiled, pleased she didn't have to explain. She took a bite of pizza, chewing carefully and swallowing before speaking, "I really don't like those over-polished white cribs they had in the furniture store. I like wood to look like wood."

"I want some kind of rocking chair. If you don't, I'll use it."

Lorelai giggled and set her plate aside, leaning her head against Luke's shoulder as she looked around the room, "I think a crib would look good there." She gestured to wall that held two large windows.

"And a bed, later. Or over there," Luke replied, leaning his head against hers, wrapping his arm around her.

"I always wanted to put those glowing stars on Rory's ceiling, but by the time I could afford as many as I envisioned, she was too old, and it wasn't really her thing."

"Boy or girl, I hope it has your eyes."

"And your smile, but we're supposed to be talking about the room, loverboy."

"Don't call me that."

"What would you prefer?"

"Husband works for me."

* * *

 _Author's Notes: I don't care how genuinely happy Lorelai is, there's no way that move isn't hard as hell. Hopefully the schmoopfest at the end helped with the angst a little._

 _I did steal the end of Obama's speech from one of his actual speeches, though it occurred much later than I placed it in this story's timeline. It really is a good speech, and still worth reading even so many years later. Google "cnn obama american dream" and it should be the first result._

 _Finally, yes, Lorelai always waits for Rory hang up first throughout this entire fic._


	34. Settling In

**Chapter 34: Settling In**

Lorelai opened the cupboard, scouting around for her travel mug. She hadn't used it since she and Luke were on the outs. But this particular morning, with a meeting to get to and no time to stop at the diner, it was either use the travel mug or stop at the coffee shop with the sub-par coffee on the way out of town.

She frowned, reached for the phone in her pocket, and hit the speed dial.

"Luke's," was the gruff greeting from its proprietor.

"Hey, are we missing some mugs, or is it just me?"

"Oh. Yeah. I figured we could probably cut down on the amount of space dedicated solely to coffee mugs, so I grabbed the ones I've seen you and Rory use the most and packed the rest. It's in the garage."

"Aha," Lorelai pulled her coat on and opened the back door, letting Paul Anka out ahead of her. She breathed in the chilly air as she walked to the garage. Winter was arriving early, it seemed, and she hoped it might mean not missing the first snow while she was in Hawaii reveling in its tropical climate.

Once in the garage, she found a few boxes, their labels facing outward thanks to Luke's impeccable organizational methods.

"What's in the 'Luke's apartment' box?" she asked, flipping open the mugs box.

"My old trophies, and some other junk I didn't end up ever sorting through. One of these days, I'll put up a few shelves in the garage to put 'em on. Maybe when it warms up again."

"We could put a heater in here, too," she muttered, feeling the chill on her fingers.

After a few more minutes of conversation, Lorelai ended the call and began unwrapping a few of the mugs, realizing she could probably part with most of them. Better than them taking up space in what would eventually turn into Man Central as Luke finished moving his wood-working tools out of storage.

"Ah, there you are!"

She lifted the travel mug from the middle of the paper-wrapped glassware. As she did, it pulled back the paper on a bright yellow, handprint covered mug, and she grimaced, realizing GG's mug had made the move as well. She set it on Luke's workbench and put away the rest of the mugs she'd unearthed. After calling the dog back over, Lorelai carried both mugs inside, and set GG's on the island in the kitchen.

She'd deal with that later.

Coffee poured, Lorelai hopped in her jeep and headed east, wishing she'd thought about that mug when Rory was in town for the wedding. She knew Rory had spent an evening having dinner with Chris and GG, which would've been a perfect opportunity to return it to its owner. She'd have to call Rory later, get Chris's address, and mail it to him. As absurd as it seemed to send a package to someone that lived fairly locally, given the circumstances, it was still the easiest option.

She pulled into the small commercial area and parked on the street, double-checking the address of the local newspaper in which they were placing an ad for the Dragonfly. As she exited the jeep, she caught sight of a few window displays across the street, making a mental note to walk around for a bit of retail therapy after her meeting.

* * *

"Today, this is my favorite place to eat in the whole world," Eric proclaimed, pushing his chair back and rubbing his belly.

Rory chuckled. She had to agree. They'd stumbled across a small restaurant that still offered a "Thanksgiving platter" as a menu option, nearly a week after the fact.

Days before the holiday, she'd been trying hard not to think about what would be the first Thanksgiving back at Luke's diner in years. She yearned for the the warm camaraderie of the townsfolk, and especially missed watching Luke downplay his efforts to support the town in ways far more important than hanging decorations in his windows.

Knowing her mother would get wrapped up in celebrating the day with her new husband, Rory made sure to send a bouquet of flowers to Luke's. She was pleased to hear that both her mother and step-father had gotten a good laugh over her efforts to keep up the age-old tradition. Lorelai had admitted later that, unlike all the previous years, they'd actually brought the flowers home and placed them in a vase there.

The night before Thanksgiving, Rory and her usual group of young reporters had moped about all the dishes and people they'd be missing. To avoid sounding too pathetic or homesick, Rory had toned her complaints down a bit, opting to share funny memories of past Thanksgivings instead. Kirk, afterall, always made for a good story.

In the end, Kyla had opened up her room to their small group of friends, and on Thanksgiving day, they'd celebrated the holiday in their own way: potluck style. Unable to bring homemade food, they'd each brought takeout from a different nearby establishment - from fast food to diner fare to Chinese food - and spread it out over the dresser, desk, and bathroom counter.

In a last minute decision that had stunned them all, Miles decided to join them, bringing dessert in the form of McDonald's apple pies. He'd also provided the evening's entertainment, queuing up a classic rock playlist on his laptop, which they'd all found themselves occasionally singing along to.

Rory couldn't imagine a better way to celebrate Thanksgiving while on the road. She'd paused several times over the course of the evening to regard the crazy group of writers and the photographer she'd gotten to know so well in such a short time. In keeping with the spirit of the holiday, she felt incredibly grateful to be going through this entire experience with them. It reminded her so much of the staff at the Yale Daily News - the shared passion, late nights, and jokes that weren't fully understood outside the newsroom.

Still, she'd missed the traditional Thanksgiving foods, and was thrilled to have discovered a random restaurant several blocks from their next hotel, eagerly advertising the availability of Thanksgiving dinner for a limited time. It had caused the group to run there straight from the morning press event. The management of the restaurant had been thrilled by the enthusiasm of its new clientele and had added in a few extra family style side dishes for the table for free.

Rory glanced quickly around the table, making sure everyone was truly finished eating and, when no one was looking, stuffed the rest of the rolls into her bag with a small smile on her face, mentally saluting her mother.

Her phone buzzed and she reached into her purse to find a message from the very woman who'd taught her the importance of post-Thanksgiving rolls.

 _Good shirt for luke or not luke enough?_

Rory's brows furrowed as she looked at the screen on her phone closely, noticing the familiar interior of the store. She quickly typed her reply:

 _Oh so NOW you go scope out Anna's, after the fact!? Shirt is too funky for Luke._

A few minutes passed with no response; Rory set the phone on the table, curious to see what had brought this about. Another minute passed before the phone started ringing, and she smirked at it, excusing herself as she moved to the front of the restaurant.

"I think your snooping is a little delayed there, Mom," Rory teased.

"Not snooping! I had an appointment with the place across the street, and the window display drew me in. Are you sure?"

After hearing the cross streets, Rory confirmed that it was, indeed, Anna Nardini's store. There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment.

"Mom, it's not all that weird that you'd stumble across it."

"No, but the timing is. It's like... The Day of the Exes, or something today."

Rory cocked her head, "How so?"

"That damn mug of GG's resurfaced this morning while I was digging my old travel mug out of a box."

"Ah," Rory nodded, biting her lip. "Are you okay?"

"Oh. Yeah. Mostly," Lorelai replied. "It was weird to stumble across it, and it kinda put me into a pensive state of mind. And now this... it's just, I don't know-"

"You should just meet Dad someplace halfway between Stars Hollow and Hartford and hand it off."

"Eh, I'll just ship it. I have to stop by the post office tomorrow anyway to mail a hideous tie one of the guests left behind last week and can't live without."

Rory frowned, "I thought it wasn't weird between you two anymore. I know you don't really talk, but you said at my graduation-"

"It wasn't _then_ ," Lorelai sighed, "It's weird _now_ because I don't want to do that to Luke. I mean, I know we've gotten all the doubts out of the way and we're good, but... that doesn't really mean I want to go around throwing your dad in Luke's face like it's no big deal."

"I think he'll be okay, Mom. Look at your situation. You've been fine every time April's visited and you have just as much reason to be worried about that."

"I wasn't the first time. I was nervous in New York, on the drive home, _and_ after you left. And I haven't seen your dad since Luke and I got back together. That first time facing one of the biggest issues in your relationship is hard, and I just don't want to put that on Luke, especially right now. We just wrapped up wedding and moving chaos. Past relationship chaos, this one in particular, is... a lot to handle. And it's a bad time of year for Luke, too, with the dark day coming up."

"True," Rory agreed, "But it's gonna have to happen eventually. You should at least talk to Luke about it. Maybe you can have him drop it off with Dad."

Lorelai snorted, "I've bailed Luke out of jail once already, no desire to do that again." She sighed. "Well, now that I feel weird about going back in that store, I guess I'll head to work. How are you doing?"

"Great. We found a place serving Thanksgiving food and stuffed ourselves. Doubt I'll be hungry for a full meal for dinner, so I stashed the leftover rolls for later."

"That's my girl!" Lorelai replied proudly. "All right, I'll talk to you later. Love you."

"I love you too. And I _will_ call you later, we need to catch up. In the meantime, don't think too much over the stupid mug, Mom. I doubt Dad even realizes it's missing." Rory ended the call with a sigh. Did everything have to be complicated in her mother's life? If it wasn't one thing, it was another. Maybe being single and traveling from place to place wasn't such a bad lifestyle afterall.

That last thought stuck with her.

"Trying to bail on the bill?" Miles teased as he approached Rory.

"Nah, phone call, didn't want to be rude."

They walked back to the table, paid their share, leaving an impressive tip, and began making their way to their hotel.

Rory adjusted her scarf to cover more skin as the cold air hit her, and she glanced over at Miles thoughtfully. "Where do you keep your stuff? I mean, I know you've lived a few places for frequent stretches, so you've accumulated things in your adult life that would likely need to be stored somewhere."

"My parents' house and a storage unit near them. Just seemed the easiest way to do it."

"Where would you pick if you were gonna put down roots somewhere?"

"Hell, I don't know," Miles frowned, considering her question. "I think the DC area's the most obvious choice, but I have no desire to relive that. Maybe New York or Chicago. I could probably sublet a place when I'm out on jobs. What about you?"

"Not a clue. I think, for the foreseeable future, at least, it makes the most sense to just call Stars Hollow my home base. I mean, Blast works out of Bridgeport-"

"For now, anyway. I'm hearing whisperings that if they continue to grow through the next quarter, they'll be out of office space, and might relocate to New York."

Rory considered that for a moment, then shrugged, "Still probably cheaper to have a rare two hour commute between there and Stars Hollow between writing gigs. I mean, assuming I can snag an assignment that involves travel by the end of next year. If I don't, I think I'd just follow Blast wherever it goes. For awhile, at least."

"Maybe you could find a job as a White House Press Correspondent," Miles wagged his eyebrows.

She snorted in response, "Pretty sure I'm several years from being qualified enough for that. Besides, I think you've got the right idea with the nomad thing. I'd like to try to stick with that. Validate all those travel posters I plastered all over my bedroom as a kid, y'know?"

Miles nodded, his thoughts noticeably turning inward as they walked. Rory was desperate to ask what was going through his mind, but he had a look on his face she'd grown familiar with. She referred to it as the "Off Limits" expression, and no amount of prodding would result in him sharing his thoughts; he'd always deflect and change the subject.

Rory decided to follow suit, continuing to mull over her future. November was almost over. They were less than a year away from the elections now, and she couldn't even begin to consider where life would head after this. Just as she'd lost her usual Yale crowd, she'd lose this one as well. The thought tugged at her heart a little, and she wondered how many of them would stay in touch. She realized she had no idea how most of the people from Yale were doing.

Most of the news room was either too busy with their own careers or school to write, though Bill made sure to email her regularly, asking for advice, or forwarding her pieces from the Daily News he thought she'd enjoy or despise. She still heard from Lucy and Olivia on occasion. She wished things hadn't ended so badly with Marty, but hoped he was doing well, wherever he'd landed. Paris, of course, was part of a constant, ongoing conversation split among text, email, and phone calls.

In a year, Rory could very well be back in the same position she'd been in at her graduation from Yale - uncertain and not having the slightest clue what was ahead. But this time, she knew what it was like, and now lacked the self-doubt that had seeped into her mind back then. She knew very well how important connections were, and was aware of the amount she'd already made. Following Blast to New York could be a very solid option.

The idea of planning a future in New York again was a little unsettling, Rory had to admit to herself. She'd been so ready to move there toward the end of the semester. Of course, all of the secret list-making she'd been doing was completely pushed from her mind after she'd gotten the rejection letter from the New York Times. She was hesitant to set herself up again. It would be silly to think about moving there already, anyway. Who knew what opportunities would cross her path by then? She could wind up anywhere.

"It's weird to think that, a year from now, I'll be settling into an entirely different life." Rory said quietly.

Taking a brief respite from his own introspection, Miles smiled at Rory, "Whatever it is, you'll be killing it. I can guarantee it."

"You may be slightly biased."

"I may also be slightly more educated on the subject," his smile faltered and Rory narrowed her eyes, hoping he'd elaborate on at least one thing that had crossed his mind in the last few minutes. Miles saw her inquisitive look and sighed heavily, "Ashley. My ex. You've already done more than she did, and she still scored a killer gig as an international reporter. She moved to Dubai in May, and she'll be all over the middle east for the next year or so."

Rory suddenly stood still, unable to process his words and walk at the same time, "Dubai? Did someone go with her?"

"Yeah, one of the assholes she dumped me for. Daniel. Why do you ask?"

"Bales." The look of distaste on her friend's face was all the confirmation Rory needed. She shook her head slowly, "That is so weird."

"What's weird?"

"Miles, how did you get this job? I know why you took it, but you've never told me how."

"That guy - Daniel - and I were friends. He was pretty passionate about the idea of digital journalism and kept trying to talk me into getting more involved. He introduced me to Hugo Gray while Hugo was in the early planning stages of Blast... and, well, that was where the connection came from. When Hugo was looking for a photographer to add to this shindig, he called me, and here I am."

"And you know how I got this job," Rory stated.

Miles shrugged, "You said you met Hugo at some swanky party with your ex-boyfriend, wrote a few freelance articles for him, and ended up on his short list when he needed someone for the campaign trail."

"Yes, but that was after the reporter he'd already hired decided to quit." Rory paused. "I replaced Daniel because he was leaving the press tour to join his fiancée in Dubai."

"Fiancée," Miles huffed, "Like that'll go anywhere. What an idiot."

"You really had no idea I replaced Daniel?"

Miles shook his head, his eyes focused on the sidewalk as they started walking again, "Not a clue. I haven't talked to him since... well... you can put two and two together, I'm sure."

"Another person to kick in the shins, then."

"Yeah," Miles chuckled.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, each pondering the small world they existed in, and the painful complexities of life that could result in the strangest of coincidences. As they stood in the elevator, Miles put his hand on Rory's shoulder, his expression serious as he spoke, "I'm really glad it was you and not him. If not for you, I'd still be shooting in sepia."

At a loss for words, Rory stared at him, fully aware that he'd just given her a piece of himself with that one sentence. He squeezed her shoulder and smiled, turning to exit onto his floor as the elevator doors opened. Rory leaned back against the wall of the elevator, watching his familiar gait as the doors closed again.

* * *

Annoyed by exes and zombie mugs, Lorelai decided to bypass the house on her way home from work and take a drive through Beacon Falls. The house was just as close to Main Street in Beacon Falls as it was to Stars Hollow's town square, yet Beacon Falls was still a complete mystery to her.

Pleased to see a small cafe ahead, Lorelai pulled into the nearby parking lot and glanced up at the menu. Eyeing the cappuccino, she again wondered about the cafe idea for Luke's old apartment. With both the wedding and move behind them, she figured it couldn't hurt to bring it up again and made a mental note to mention it over dinner.

After ordering, she sat at a small table near the front and pulled a book from her purse. Both Rory and Oprah had recommended it, so she'd bought it to read after the move was finished. A quiet late afternoon with coffee, pastries, and a good book sounded like the perfect combination.

A cappuccino and cherry danish were placed in front of her, and Lorelai thanked her server profusely as she noted the acceptably large sizes of both. She took a bite of the danish, chewing slowly as she judged it; the pastry paled in comparison to both Luke's and Sookie's, but it would do well enough in a pinch. As she read, immersed in the introductions to the book's characters, she failed to see the shadow hovering over her, and jerked her head up in shock when she heard a familiar voice.

"Lor?" Chris half-smiled, both surprised and confused to see her there.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," She mumbled to herself, incoherently enough for anyone to understand... except perhaps Emily Gilmore and her freakish sense of hearing. "Chris? What are you doing out this way?"

"One of GG's nannies lives down in Ansonia and her car broke down, so I was on my way home from dropping her off," Chris replied. "Mind if I...?" He gestured at the seat across from her.

Lorelai shrugged, still stunned to see him in front of her. If Anna showed up next, she might consider jumping in front of a moving car, because there was no way she wasn't dreaming, and the impact should be just enough to scare her awake.

She took a long, slow sip of her cappuccino before speaking. "Uh, it's funny I should run into you today of all days. I was going through a box and realized you'd left behind a mug GG painted. I'm mailing it tomorrow, so you should expect to see it before the end of the week."

"Ah, that's silly, Stars Hollow's not far, I don't mind stopping by and grabbing it when we're done here."

When we're done here? Lorelai's mouth twitched in mild annoyance at the way he'd managed to intrude on what was supposed to be a quiet afternoon to herself. She slid the cover of her book over to mark the page she'd left off on, and dropped it into her purse. No matter how settled things were now, there was no way in hell Chris was stopping by the house before she had a chance to talk to Luke.

"Today's probably not the best day, but um, if you do want to stop by, I can check with Luke and see what day might work best for us," Lorelai said stiffly.

"Ah, yeah, I heard that you two..." Chris's eyes shifted to her left hand, and she held it up to give him a better view of it - afterall, if he was so intent on torturing himself, he shouldn't have to strain his eyes as well. "Wow, nice. I thought you didn't want anything more than a simple band at your age. Or so you told me."

Lorelai took a deep breath, "Uh, it wasn't... I didn't want that, um, then. I'd just been wearing this one for a year, and it felt weird to wear something like that with you, especially given the twisted circumstances there." She met his eyes, hoping he understood.

Chris nodded, "Makes sense, I guess. That's not your old one, though."

"It is," she said, unable to stop herself from genuinely smiling as she looked at it. "Luke combined it with his mother's wedding ring, and had it completely remade. Though the diamonds in the wedding band are new."

Chris sighed heavily, his expression regretful, and Lorelai knew he was considering what was, what wasn't, and what never could have been. Knowing exactly how that felt, as she'd felt it every time she saw Luke during that strange time in her life not so long ago, she began to pity Chris, and pulled her hand back out of view.

"How's the new house?" Lorelai asked, leading them to safer shores, "I heard Sherry's finally been coming around for GG."

"Yeah, Sherry's been great. Still a little, y'know, Sherry. As you're well aware, you can't change your kid's other parent," Chris chuckled self-deprecatingly, and quickly moved on at Lorelai's frown, "The house is way bigger than I ever expected to live in. I like it, though. It's nice to see GG really settled in somewhere, you know?"

"Yeah, I do. I was worried about her, after everything. So much uprooting and chaos for someone so little... I'm relieved to hear she's doing better."

"Me too. I'm sure Rory's told you..." Chris paused, as Lorelai nodded. "Good. The family therapy's been helping a lot. I'm not sure Sherry's actually gotten much out of it, but it's helped GG. She's still really bad with things she's not familiar with, like starting school this year, but I sit her down and we talk it out, and go back over the things she's learned in therapy."

"That's great to hear. I... I've had no endless amount of guilt over what happened to her. You should know... I am so sorry for not ever considering what this would do to her."

"Don't _do_ that," he replied sharply.

"What?"

"That thing, making it about you... it wasn't you," Chris slumped in his chair and rubbed his forehead. "I get it now. All the times I asked you to marry me and you said no, and it had everything to do with Rory."

"Not _everything_ , but a lot to do with her, yeah."

"That never would have occurred to me with GG. Even convincing you to spend the night that... that night. Who has someone sleep over on a whim with their little kid in the house? Or even... ugh. Before then, even. She was with nannies half the time, and before you pointed out I was raising a spoiled brat, there had been a revolving door of 'em..." Chris closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, he looked sadder than Lorelai had ever seen him. Even when they'd broken up, even the times she'd yelled at him for proposing during and immediately after her pregnancy, he'd never looked quite so gutted. "Lor, I gave my daughter an anxiety disorder."

"Chris, you can feel guilty, but I think that's taking it a little far," Lorelai chided softly.

"I have the papers. Generalized anxiety disorder as a result of environmental factors. Nice list of things after that, too. Fear of abandonment, fear of change. They offered to put her on drugs, Lorelai. Because her Mom left, and her dad still thought he was eighteen and his kid was still an afterthought. Her nannies are specialized and know how to deal with kids with special needs." He held Lorelai's gaze, "You were wrong the time you told me I would've stepped in to raise Rory. I didn't even know what parenthood really meant until this year. I would've done the same thing to Rory that I did to GG. Probably worse."

Lorelai swallowed. What she couldn't tell Chris, but would tell Luke later that night, was that, upon hearing Christopher's confession, she felt a weight lifted from her shoulders. It was no wonder GG's mug still affected her so strongly. She'd still been carrying around the burden of guilt for the damage done to an innocent child who hadn't asked to be thrown into the insane world she'd wound up in. Hearing GG's father lay claim to that guilt instead, Lorelai was finally able to begin forgiving herself for her own part in it.

Still wanting to console her childhood friend, Lorelai pushed the rest of her danish toward him, "You need this more than I do. And what matters is that you've realized you screwed up and you're fixing it. You were there when she needed you the most, that's what's going to matter in the long run."

"Thanks for saying that," Chris replied quietly, taking a bite of the danish. As he did, Lorelai reached for her phone and texted Luke.

 _ran into chris. all good, will fill you in later. might need pie, tho._

"I'm glad you got to see Rory while she was out here. She's doing amazing things, that kid," Lorelai offered another subject change, hoping to remove the look of devastation from his face.

"Me too. I needed to apologize to her in person for a few things. She's so grown up. I thought she seemed old when she moved in with Logan, but... I read her articles... and Rory has a better grasp of life than I do."

"She has since she was five," Lorelai chuckled, then glanced down as her phone buzzed, notifying her of Luke's reply.

 _home already. ALWAYS PIE FOR U WHY IS IT INCAPS JUST CALLME IHAT ETEXTIN1_

Lorelai was unable to bite back her laugh at Luke's endless struggles with texting, and spared a quick glance at Chris. The danish seemed to be helping him a little, at least.

"I'll be right back, keep eating," she said, holding up a finger and walking out the door as she speed dialed the house phone.

"I really hate the texting thing," Luke said, answering the phone.

"I know, sorry," Lorelai chuckled.

"This have something to do with that mug on the table?"

"Yeah, I accidentally unearthed it while I was digging for my travel mug in the rejected mugs box. And my day just got weirder from that point on. My meeting in Woodbridge? Across the street from Anna's store. Decided to explore Beacon Falls, and hunkered down in a nice cafe with a book, coffee, and a danish, and who should walk in but Chris."

"Damn," Luke chuckled, "No wonder you requested pie."

"Yeah, there's one other thing. Since I ran into him, I mentioned the mug, and he was talking about coming back with me to pick it up. I told him no since there was no way I would do that without talking to you first, and now that I'm talking to you..."

"Right," Luke paused, gnawing his lip in thought. He knew Chris posed no threat to him any longer. He wasn't afraid of Lorelai talking to Chris at all. It was being reminded that the man existed that still drew his ire. And all the messes Chris somehow managed to leave in his wake. Like the damn TV that fell off the wall. It could've been GG it fell on, for goodness sake.

"Luke?"

"Yeah, sorry, um. It's fine. Let the man take his mug home."

Lorelai tapped the fingers of her free hand on her leg, not sure if he was actually fine or playing the part of fine, only to reveal himself as "pissed at wife" later that evening.

"Are you sure?"

Luke gazed at the framed wedding photos Lorelai had used to decorate the mantle in the living room. There were several: one with his family, one with her's, a few with just the bride and groom, and the largest and most prominent was of the newly formed family of four. Lorelai had placed them among childhood photos of Rory and April. There were a few of he and Lorelai while they were dating, too. The culmination of memories made the mantle his favorite place in the entire house. His mouth quirked up slightly.

"Yeah," Luke replied, more self-assured this time, his eyes trained on their wedding photo, "Give him a tour of the whole house for all I care."

Lorelai chuckled at his tone, "Hon, he already saw the rings, he's well aware you came out the winner, here. I can still pull out that damn Bop-It, you know."

Luke laughed at that, "No Bop-It necessary. I'll even offer him a beer."

"No you won't, he's not staying long enough for that."

"Not staying long enough for beer, huh?"

"Hell no. You're home early, there's pie, and I've been slammed at work all week getting the inn ready for me to leave for our honeymoon. I want a quiet night at home with my husband, and no visitors."

"Well, can't argue with that," he grinned. "When are you heading over, just so I'm... y'know, prepared?"

"In a few minutes, and I'm on Main Street, so it shouldn't take more than ten minutes or so to get home."

They said their goodbyes, and Lorelai walked back into the cafe, glad to see Chris had finished the danish and appeared somewhat recovered from his previous emotional overload. She patted him on the back as she moved toward her seat. "Butter, carbs, and sugared fruit is always a good cure."

Chris chuckled. "Coffee doesn't hurt, either."

"No, no it does not," Lorelai replied, lifting her mug and draining the rest of her cappuccino.

"Was that the husband?"

"It was. How'd you guess?" she cocked her head and reached for her purse. Chris drew a smile across his face with his finger and pointed at her. "Ah, yeah, that... happens."

"I'm glad. I mean," Chris rolled his eyes and waved his hand as he stood, "Glad for you. Me, not so much. It's better, though." Lorelai nodded awkwardly and he shrugged, "Anyway, we should both probably get going-"

"Ah, Luke suggested you stop by and pick up the mug now," Lorelai said, and Chris chortled, raising a doubtful eyebrow at her. "He did, I swear! And I need to donate the rest of the ones that were in that box anyway, so if you want a little reminder that your little girl loves you despite everything, you should probably come get it."

His expression softened, "All right, I mean, I don't want to intrude..."

"Nope. We're good. Uh, you want to follow me or do you need directions?"

Chris laughed, "Lor, the last several months may have been a mess for me, but I still know how to get to your house."

"You go there and Lane will be very confused as to why you're knocking on her door. Or she'll deck you if the twins are napping."

"You moved," Chris stared at her in shock. Even more surprising than the diamonds on her rings was, apparently, the fact that she'd been able to leave her beloved house behind to start a new life with her husband.

"We moved. Needed something bigger." As Chris's eyebrows shot northward, and his gaze south, Lorelai shook her head rapidly, "No, uh, Rory, April, and, well, that too, but not yet."

"But soon," he said quietly. If Chris hadn't fully realized how much she'd been holding back when they were married, there was no hiding it now.

"Look, Chris, I don't mean to hurt you more than I already have-"

"No. It's... it's okay," he took a deep breath and looked at her, "It stings a little, but it makes sense... confirms I was right to not want to be a consolation prize. Um, I'll follow you."

As Lorelai sat in her jeep, she took a deep, cleansing breath of her own, and hoped Luke wasn't hell-bent on flaunting their life to Chris too blatantly. Chris was a walking open wound, and she'd been on the sidelines of enough testosterone-fueled wars too many times in her life. As she drove, she wondered what the hell she'd been thinking and wondered why she hadn't just stuck to the original idea of mailing the damn mug.

She pulled into the driveway next to Luke's truck as Chris parked on the street, and walked over to the porch to wait as he approached.

"Holy crap, how big is the property?"

"Three acres. And Rory even has her own library," she grinned as he followed her inside.

Lorelai led Chris down the entryway and into the living room. Luke had lit a fire, but he was nowhere to be found. She frowned and looked around for evidence of her husband. There was not a chance in hell Luke was going to hide after the way he sounded on the phone.

"Hey," Luke said from behind her, finally making his way into the room. "I was just starting dinner," he explained as she turned toward him. He greeted his wife with a kiss, which she cut short, gently pushing on his shoulders as she pulled back.

Lorelai gave him a small, reproachful grin, shaking her head slightly. She turned back to find Chris move from gazing at the massive flatscreen television Luke had bought for her, to eyeing the photos on the mantle. She felt Luke's hand at her waist as he stood beside her.

"What's for dinner?" she asked, glancing up at him, giving Chris a moment to process the contents of the photos in front of him. She knew it couldn't be easy.

"That soup you always order from the thai place - Tom Kha Gai. Supposed to snow later, and you mentioned wanting Thai food this week, so... two birds, one stone."

"Neat, but part of the Thai was wanting-"

"Pork satay. Which is marinating and will be the first thing to finally break in that grill that's built into the stove you insisted I needed." Luke smirked as she batted her eyelashes at him with a smile. Chris turned back toward them with a surprised look on his face. Luke wasn't sure if he was impressed by the dinner plans or of his knowledge of Lorelai. Either way, Luke was happy to show off. "Mug's on the kitchen table, once you're done with the tour. Can I get you anything, Chris? Water? Coffee?"

"Uh, no thank you, I'm good," Chris replied, clearly caught off guard by Luke's hospitality.

"Lorelai?"

"Nope. I'm fine for now."

Luke nodded and walked back to the kitchen.

Chris gestured to the photos on the mantle, "You deserved to have that... with the wedding."

"Thank you, I think so too," Lorelai smiled at him gratefully.

"Where's the furry guy? Tell me he's not hiding somewhere spying on me. He always watched me suspiciously like I was gonna steal something," Chris chuckled, looking around the room.

"Ah, he's probably in the kitchen with Luke. He decided to take man's best friend literally a few months back. I answer to Chopped Liver these days."

"Right," Chris said under his breath, trying not to be bothered by the fact that even Paul Anka was able to make things work with his rival. He glanced at some of the familiar furniture he'd grown accustomed to during the few months he'd lived with Lorelai, and noticed a large photo album sitting in the middle of the coffee table. He raised his eyebrows at the names on the inscription: Luke and Lorelai Danes. "You changed your name?"

Lorelai nodded slowly. No matter how hard she'd been trying to spare Chris's feelings, he seemed dead set on finding every detail that emphasized her new life.

"It was... time."

"Lorelai Danes," he said quietly, shaking his head with a small laugh, "Never, ever would've guessed that."

"Me either," she grinned knowingly.

Her expression softened as she gazed at the photo album. The name change hadn't been as difficult to get used to as she'd expected, and in a way, it had felt like a wall of Luke's had dropped by letting her truly be a part of his family as well. It was never about the name or the tradition so much as what it signified for the two of them.

Chris watched her for a moment before clearing his throat, "You said something about a library?"

"I did. It's an ongoing project, so don't expect walls filled with books just yet."

Lorelai led him back to the entryway and opened the double doors to the library. They'd moved Luke's old living room furniture into it, and a few tables she'd had around her house.

Chris turned three hundred and sixty degrees as he gazed at the walls filled with bookshelves. "Off to a pretty decent start," he observed. "Where the hell was Rory storing all of those?"

"Some are Rory's, some are April's. That small section's for Luke and I, but this is pretty much their domain." Lorelai said proudly. She walked to the fireplace toward the back of the room, looking closely at the mantle. She laughed as she found a few additions she hadn't noticed. She knew April had sent Luke a few photos and instructions, but had forgotten about them during the busy week she'd had. Further marking the place as their's, Rory and April had decorated the mantle with nothing but humorous candid photos of the four of them, mostly from the trip in August.

Chris moved next to her and laughed at the close-up photo of Rory and April making silly faces at the camera in their matching Thing One and Thing Two pajamas. "Those two are pretty close, huh?"

"Yeah. April needs a wise, non-parental figure in her life, and Rory's full of wisdom on how to deal with weird parents."

"That's good. GG's gonna need Rory's ear someday, I'm sure. Ah, speaking of whom, I really should grab that mug and hit the road. I promised GG pizza tonight if she got a good enough grade on her counting test, and she aced the thing, so I've gotta make sure she gets changed and washed up before we head out for dinner."

"No delivery in your area of Hartford?"

"Her favorite pizza place happens to involve a freakishly large grey mouse, games with crappy prizes, and a gigantic playground," Chris rolled his eyes. "I've managed to avoid the place, but she's gone with Sherry a few times."

"Ah, the ol' Chuck E. Cheese. Well, let's go get the mug so you can start plotting how you're going to sneak into the ball pit."

"Sneak?"

"No adults allowed on the play equipment. I wasn't even young enough to get away with it when Rory was three, despite my protestations that I wasn't even old enough to drink yet," Lorelai sighed, "It was a terrible time. Not a kid, but still not quite an adult."

Chris chuckled and followed her into the kitchen. He spotted the mug on the table, and smiled fondly, running his hands over the small handprints as he clutched it, "I appreciate you hanging onto it for me. Her hands are already so much bigger than this."

"They grow fast," Lorelai sighed, looking sadly at Luke who'd missed the tiny handprint days with April entirely. Luke shook his head slightly and raised his eyebrow. The promise of no more dwelling on what-might-have-beens also meant no moping over not getting to see April grow up.

"That they do," Chris replied, still in his own GG-centered world. He held the mug to his chest and nodded to Luke, "Thanks for letting me stop by. Have a good night."

"You too," Luke nodded back, giving the soup a stir as Lorelai escorted Chris back down the entryway and out the front door.

"I'm jealous of your dinner," Chris admitted as they paused on the porch.

"You should be," Lorelai grinned, "Now you know the real reason I married him."

"Aha, _now_ it all comes together," he said, winking. "In my defense, I have been learning. The crock pot is a thing of beauty. In case you ever want to pitch in, you should get one of those. Rory sent me this great recipe book for my birthday that she can hook you up with."

"Good to know. But I think I'll stick to occasionally chopping, peeling, and attempting not to maim myself. That's about as close as Luke lets me get to cooking."

"You married an enabler," Chris laughed, shaking his head. He reached out and pulled her in for a quick hug before leaving. As he began to walk away, he paused halfway down the steps of the porch and turned back. "This... wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Thank Luke for not rubbing it in my face too hard."

"He's a pretty decent guy."

"He'd have to be, to get this," he gestured to the house, "And you with it." He drew a tremulous breath, diverting his gaze from the chuppah on the other side of the house. "I'm not going to say this doesn't hurt, but right next to that feeling... I'm genuinely happy for you. And happy for whoever gets to fill that extra bedroom. Some of the best moments my kid remembers from the past year involve you. And we both know you have everything to do with where Rory is now."

Lorelai's breath hitched as she leaned heavily against the post. Unsure how to respond to that, she simply gave him a grateful smile and whispered, "Thank you." She swallowed, "I'm sorry for using you... I didn't realize I was. And it wasn't fair... to any of us."

"It wasn't. We both should've known better. It's okay, Lor. We're all moving on... forgiving each other and ourselves... and moving forward, literally, in both our cases."

Lorelai nodded and watched him walk away.

Once Chris reached his car, she walked back into her house and straight to the kitchen. Luke turned as she entered, and she nearly launched herself into his arms.

"Uh, everything okay?" Luke asked, hugging her to him and rubbing her back with his hand.

"Okay would be an understatement," Lorelai replied with a big smile, pulling back just enough to meet his eyes. "This has been the weirdest damn day, but man, is it ending well."

"It's still pretty early. And you haven't even tried the soup."

She giggled and pulled him down for a kiss, making up for the one she'd cut short earlier, which he eagerly returned. When they finally separated, Lorelai gazed into his eyes and smiled, "You really are a pretty decent guy."

"I've got more where that came from."

"Lucky me. I'm serious, though. I mean for everything. Letting me drag Chris over into your domain. Not freaking out or whacking me over the head with a club and dragging me to your cave to prove your point..."

Luke shrugged, "I don't have anything to prove. And, besides, I saw his face when I walked in the living room... I've been in his shoes before, it's not fun."

"I thought that earlier, too. I was annoyed he hosed my plans for the day, and then I ended up just feeling bad for him," Lorelai replied, drawn to a pile of mail on the kitchen table.

Luke watched her and smirked, "Try the third envelope from the top."

"No way!" Lorelai squealed. She'd been waiting for weeks for a particular piece of mail. After opening the envelope quickly, she pulled out her new driver's license. She was officially recognized by the state of Connecticut as Lorelai Victoria Danes.

"How'd you end up with a good picture?" Luke asked as she handed him the plastic card. He narrowed his eyes as he passed it back, "You didn't flirt, did you?"

"I did not flirt. I fawned over _her_ impressively bright shade of lipstick, and between takes, I asked about the brand, where she bought it, and droned on and on over how wonderfully it matched her equally bright blouse," Lorelai grinned. "The fourth take was the winner."

"Photo takes at the DMV," Luke snorted. "You would."

Lorelai happily bounced to the living room to put her new driver's license in her wallet. She'd been hoping it would arrive before they left for Hawaii so she could check in with it at the airport.

Hours later, Lorelai was laying on the couch, full from soup and satay, watching TV with Paul Anka sprawled on top of her. She sighed contentedly as she ran her fingers through her dog's fur and gently touched the house phone nestled against her side, hoping Rory would be able to follow through with her promise of a later phone call.

Rory's calls home had been few and far between since the wedding, a sharp contrast to the frequent calls April made to Luke. Lorelai was a little envious, but for the most part, it just made her long for the random calls to and from the Yale campus she'd been so used to over the last few years.

Just as the pictures on the TV screen began to blur and her eyelids began to droop, the phone rang, and Lorelai answered before the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Oh no, did I wake you?" Rory asked.

"Nope, just dozing off," Lorelai replied, clearing her throat and muting the television. "I was watching Sleepless in Seattle, but it's on TV, so there are commercials and it's now four hours long. How are you?"

"Pretty good. I get a slightly longer Christmas break thanks to Obama wanting to spend time with his family. So I'll be there until the twenty-eighth, and you can actually pick me up and drop me off at the airport since the one meeting I have in Bridgeport is still on the twenty-sixth."

Lorelai fisted her hand in excitement and squealed, "Wow! Merry Christmas to me!"

"And to me. Are you feeling settled into the house yet?"

Lorelai glanced around at the warm, dimly lit room. It had been strange, at first, getting used to the house. It felt homey, but just like her old house, it had taken a few days to readjust and make it feel like home. The biggest hurdle was getting used to the idea that this was no longer "Lorelai and Rory's house where Luke also lives" but rather "Lorelai and Luke's house where Rory and April sometimes crash".

She didn't know when it stopped feeling strange and started feeling normal, but one particularly exhausting day at the Dragonfly, Lorelai had moaned that she just wanted to go home and barter for a massage from Luke; the vision in her head was of them curled up together on the couch at the new house, not the old one. That was the day she realized it had, at some point along the way, truly become home.

After answering Rory's question in the affirmative, Lorelai caught her up on the latest news surrounding the house: The doghouse Luke had built for Paul Anka (that the dog, naturally, had shown zero interest in). The crazy housewarming party she'd convinced Luke they needed. Patty bringing over her new portable karaoke machine. Lorelai spending the majority of the party in the kitchen to avoid said karaoke machine. Sookie getting them both drunk enough to partake in karaoke, and choosing "Shoop", both women drunkenly flirting with their respective spouses as they rapped.

Rory, losing control of her faculties, and unable to hold back tears from the laughter at the visual in her head, dropped her phone. Lorelai, meanwhile, giggled at the memory with her arm draped over her face.

"How did Luke take that?" Rory asked when she could breathe normally again.

Lorelai bit her lip. There wasn't exactly a daughter-friendly way to answer the question honestly. Luke was also a little drunk, and had taken a few long strides across the room as she gleefully hopped off the coffee table that had served as her karaoke stage. He was smiling, but his eyes were smoldering. The crowd had already moved on to scream for Lulu's rendition of Mariah Carey's "Vision of Love" as Luke practically dragged his wife into the laundry room for the steamiest make-out session of her life.

When he admitted it was what he should've done, and certainly thought about doing during her last alcohol-induced karaoke performance at K.C.'s, she was done for.

Perched on the washing machine, her fingers had just managed to unfasten the button on Luke's jeans and were reaching for his zipper when Kirk had flung open the door in a desperate search for the restroom. Sobriety hit them like a brick at that point, and it wasn't much longer before Luke, still very hot and very bothered, began collecting abandoned cups and plates, making it obvious the party was reaching its end.

Lorelai couldn't help but grin as she remembered Luke locking the door behind the last guest and racing her up the stairs, the rest of the cleanup abandoned until very late the next morning.

"He, uh, laughed," Lorelai lied.

"Mmmhmm," Rory replied, wrinkling her nose at her mother's undisguisable tone, "So did today improve for you at all, or was it a wash?"

"Oh, it improved by leaps and bounds. Got a little weird when I ran into your dad, weirder still when I brought him to the house, and downright absurd when Luke offered him coffee."

"Wow!" Rory gaped, "I... don't even know which of those I'm reacting to. Dad came to the house?!"

"Yeah, to get the mug. He wasn't here long. Just long enough to notice everything that separates Lorelai Danes from Lorelai Gilmore, get jealous of Paul Anka and Luke's bromance, and admire your library," Lorelai took a breath, "It was also really good, though. Um, we talked a little more about GG. I didn't realize... an anxiety disorder, huh?"

"I didn't want to tell you. He told me when I was out there for the wedding. I knew you'd just get upset," Rory explained.

"Well... he's doing really well with her. I know you said he was working on it, but... to hear it from him, myself, was... a bit of a relief."

"Good," Rory nodded. "I'm glad you got a chance to talk. Maybe it'll help him finish getting over you, too."

"I think... maybe it might," Lorelai smiled softly, "He seemed genuinely happy for me. Us, I guess. Are you going to see him over Christmas?"

"Yeah," Rory answered slowly. "Just for a few hours on Christmas morning, mostly for GG. I guess a lot of the Hayden family is going to be in town, and... it's just... uncomfortable for me to be around Francine and a bunch of people GG seems to know so well, that I've never even met. Christmas morning is the time the least of them will be there."

"I'm sorry, kid," Lorelai frowned. "That one was out of my hands from the very beginning."

"I know it was. Don't be sorry. Their loss, right?"

"Absolutely. I'd rather you be here anyway."

"Me too," Rory smiled, feeling oddly grateful she wasn't obligated to split time equally between both parents the way April was. She recounted her second Thanksgiving dinner in more detail, the conversation with Miles between the restaurant and the hotel, as well as the odd exchange with him in the elevator.

Lorelai listened quietly. Rory talked about Miles a lot, but had never insinuated anything more than a slight friendship and strong working relationship. There had been certain moments Rory described where she'd wondered if maybe something might happen, but nothing ever did. And then there were times she wondered if her daughter was going to punch the disruptive man she'd been partnered with. She knew the two of them had grown closer, but that was to be expected given the amount of time they spent together. Still, occasionally, the things Rory described felt very, very familiar to Lorelai.

"So you brought color back to his life," she commented after Rory told her what he'd said. "That's a big thing to tell someone."

"It is. Especially coming from him."

"I know what that's like," Lorelai hinted.

"Huh?" Rory asked, confused for a moment until she realized her mother was referring to Luke. "Oh, uh, no. Not... well, I guess, maybe a little. Miles can be reclusive and a little closed off when talking about himself, but he can also talk my ear off about random things, which tends to remind me more of you, to be honest."

"Don't you call him a pest more often than not?"

"Exactly."

"Ungrateful child."

"Never," Rory said seriously.

"Thank you." Lorelai smiled, her thoughts still on Miles and Rory. "Is it like Marty? The two of you?"

"No. Maybe a little like it was early on, but it's a little hard to compare the friendships since the guys involved are so different. And Marty just... ruined all of it with how he acted with Lucy," Rory thought for a moment, considering Miles, "Miles and I are close, but I don't think he has any kind of romantic interest. Plus, we've both been through the ringer with a fiancée and near-fiancé between us."

Lorelai made a non-committal sound, wishing she'd been able to see the two interact when she and Luke had met Rory for dinner a few days after the wedding. While it had been fun and exciting to see Rory coming from a day at work, rushing to the restaurant with press credentials still donned, she'd been really hoping to encounter the famous Mr. Evenson and see exactly how deeply in denial her daughter was.

"Anyway," Rory continued, "I like what we've got. It was so weird at first to have to actually work with someone when I'd just managed to find my stride, but now... it's comfortable. He knows my writing and can guess at where I might take a story, and I know his photography and can guess at the shots he'll get, the ones his editors will probably prefer, and it's neat. Different from anything I've done before. I-" Rory was interrupted by a light knock on her hotel door. "Hang on, someone's at the door."

"Your hotel door? At this hour?"

"I'm pretty sure it's Miles."

"Miles? At this hour?"

Rory rolled her eyes, "Hang on." She threw her phone on the bed and opened the door to find the expected party standing in front of her, holding up a grocery bag.

"What's this?" she asked.

"I swiped two cookies from the lobby, but the convenience store only had half gallons of milk, so I had to grab a few more, and they were all fresh from the oven, so I took four," he grinned excitedly. "I missed dinner and I'm starved."

"Fresh baked cookies?! Best midnight snack ever," Rory stood aside to let him in. Midnight snacks didn't happen often, but Miles was always seemed to be the bearer of goodies when she needed them the most.

As he got settled, filling the empty mugs on the dresser with milk, she picked the phone back up, "Mom, I love you, but you lose against fresh baked cookies."

"Man," Lorelai whined, "Now I want fresh baked cookies."

"Well, you have someone capable of making such things under your own roof."

"Not right now. He's dead to the world. I'll let ya go, though, kid. Enjoy your late dinner."

Rory's eyes lit up as she held a still-warm cookie, "Oh, you know I will. Bye," she ended the call after her mother's sighing farewell and joined Miles at the table, both dunking their cookies into milk with childlike glee.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: Anna got a chapter, it was only fair Chris had to show up at some point. Plus, Lorelai needed that GG thing fully resolved, and frankly, I did want to let Chris redeem himself a little bit. And, yes, I did torture him a little, but it's only fair given how much screen time he got in season 7 (UGH)._

 _Sorry for the delay, work kinda ate me alive this week in addition to real life stuff. Love you all of you guys for the reactions, reviews, and PMs! Thank you so much for reading!_


	35. Ho'oilo

**Chapter 35: Ho`oilo**

"Luke, you can let go of my hand."

When there was no response from the man squeezing his eyes shut next to her, Lorelai reached over with the hand that wasn't being crushed into a tiny mass of bone and skin and patted Luke's forearm.

"We took off. We're airborne. Time to relax. You can keep holding it, but I'm losing feeling in my fingers, so you at least need to ease up on the grip, hon."

Luke slowly opened his eyes and let go of Lorelai's hand, flexing his fingers as he took a few deep breaths.

"It wasn't as bad as I was expecting," he finally spoke.

Lorelai chuckled, wiggling her own fingers to get the blood circulating again, "I'd hate to feel the 'as bad or worse than I expected' grip. What would you have done if your first flight was solo to New Mexico?"

"Wind up getting sued for assault by whatever poor fool was my seat partner, I guess," Luke replied, still focusing on breathing. He glanced over at her and winced at her slightly discolored hand, "I'm really sorry."

"I'm okay. Didn't break. Just, uh, if there's turbulence, you might wanna squeeze the pillow you shoved under the seat instead."

"And squeeze the germs right into my hand? No thanks. I think I'll be okay. It was just that takeoff. I didn't really know what it was gonna be like."

Lorelai grinned and settled back into her seat. When they'd decided to go to Hawaii, she hadn't realized it would be Luke's first time ever flying. All things considered, he hadn't done too terribly, though a short trip somewhere closer might have been a good idea before the honeymoon. Too late now; they were stuck in what Luke referred to as a flying metal germ tube for a good eight hours before they landed in California for a layover, and another six hours before they reached Maui.

Somewhere over Colorado, it wasn't Luke having issues adjusting to the long flight. He was fairly certain that, if Lorelai complained one more time, he would need to ask the flight attendant to switch him to a new seat, even if it meant giving up the lavish first class accommodations his new in-laws had somehow secretly upgraded them to.

"What's the problem now?" Luke regretted asking as soon as he saw Lorelai's face brighten at his acknowledgement of her anxious behavior.

"I'm starving."

"Eat something."

"You only packed your protein bars, remember? I ran out of time to run to Doose's for proper snack food," Lorelai pouted.

"You brought that on yourself. I was packed a day in advance. You had three times as much crap to pack and you waited until the very last minute."

Lorelai sighed and flopped against her seat, "If we ever do this again, I'm stuffing an entire pie into my carry-on. No. A cheeseburger. Wait, both."

Luke rolled his eyes and dipped his head slightly to look back down at the Truman Capote book Lorelai had grabbed from his small, but oddly growing, collection of books. Rory and April had "donated" several of their older books they thought he'd enjoy so his shelf in the library looked a little less pathetic. He was pretty sure this particular book, however, was one Lorelai had bought him years ago that he'd never gotten around to reading.

Just as Lorelai crossed and uncrossed her legs for the third time in a handful of minutes, Luke heard a particularly loud growl emanate from her stomach. Try though he might, he couldn't hold back the laughter that began bubbling up, earning him a glare from his wife.

"Not funny, I told you I was hungry."

Luke smirked and unbuckled his seatbelt, standing to pull open the overhead compartment. Lorelai watched him with a frown, wondering what he was up to. He sat back down a moment later with a paper bag in hand.

"Come on, Lorelai, I've been keeping you fed for over a decade, you really think I'd shirk my responsibilities now?"

He tossed the bag onto her lap, and Lorelai peeked into the bag curiously and squealed as she grabbed a king size Snicker bar; she noticed the contents included every piece of junk food that had been on her shopping list.

"If we weren't already married, this would so seal the deal," she grinned happily, quickly kissing him on the cheek before ripping open the wrapper on her candy bar.

* * *

"Okay, Scott, thanks," Rory sighed, hanging up her phone as she looked morosely across the aisle of the bus at Miles, "He got us two rooms at the Plaza Inn, if we can manage to get four blocks from here." She glanced at the window to her left to see nothing but a haze of white.

There had been snow in the forecast, and the schedule was adjusted to, ideally, beat the snowstorm. Unfortunately, the weather chose to fight back, and went from snowstorm to outright blizzard within a day. Despite their driver's best attempts to reach their destination before it hit, they were physically stuck a few miles away in whiteout conditions. The only bright side to the situation was that they weren't in the middle of nowhere, but rather, the downtown area of a neighboring city.

Miles walked to the front of the bus and returned with four trash bags, handing Rory two of them.

"Slip it over your luggage and your backpack to keep it dry. We're going to be icicles by the time we make it four blocks."

Rory sighed heavily and reached for her luggage, watching the techniques Miles used to rip holes to secure it to the backpack and still allow the straps to work.

"On which adventure did you learn to do this this?"

Miles snorted, "Walking to school as a child? Third grade, I think, was the year winter was really bad, and I wound up devising several techniques to stay as dry as possible. Nothing like walking to school in that wintry mix crap."

"No bus?"

"Nope," Miles shrugged. "Dad left for work early and Mom worked a morning shift, so we all had to be out the door at the same time."

"Poor, frozen little snowman."

"Whatever, he figured it out," Miles grinned, pulling on a knitted beanie as Rory did the same, "Ready?"

Rory grimaced at the white window one last time before pouting and hefting her backpack. The bus driver followed them out, quickly pulling their luggage out from under the bus and wished them well.

Immediately, Rory realized just how bad the weather was when she couldn't see more than two feet in front of her. "Okay! Just keep walking forward and count stop lights. When we hit four, the hotel should be just to the right."

"Ten-four!" Miles confirmed, and the two trudged through the massive drifts forward.

Eventually, they stood in the lobby of the Plaza Inn, a far more upscale hotel than they were used to, but the only one Scott was able to find rooms in, as a result of the amount of visitors invading the small town for the event. Rory started laughing when she saw the small drifts that had formed on Miles and were quickly melting onto the mat-covered floors in the lobby. After removing the trash bags and divesting themselves of as much snow and ice as possible, they checked in, got their room keys, and made their way to the fourth floor.

Rory grumbled as she entered her room and quickly changed out of her icy, wet clothes. She pulled her phone out of the center of her backpack, where she'd shoved it to keep it dry, and speed-dialed her mother, knowing it would go straight to voicemail.

"Hi, Mom, me again. So, when you and Luke are working on your tans and sipping tropical drinks later today, please think of me. I just removed about twenty pounds of snow from my body, another twenty from my luggage, and am currently huddled around a heater as I try to defrost. I just thought you should know that. Call me later. Actually, don't. I don't want to hear about coconuts and tanning oil, and if I hear the ocean in the background, I'll cry. Bye."

That done, she turned to find the coffee maker, and gasped in horror when she found the coffee was only available at an overpriced fee as part of the mini bar.

"Give me the Metro 8 motel and its free in-room coffee any day," Rory grumbled. After changing into dry, warm clothes, she shoved her phone and room key in her pocket and eyed the prices of the coffee in the café off the lobby. Oddly, it was significantly less expensive than the in-room coffee. After ordering, Rory found a cozy chair and settled in, sighing happily as the hot liquid began warming her up from the inside out.

She flipped through the photos in her phone, taking another look at her finished bedroom in Stars Hollow. Her mother had only sent a few strategically placed photos so she couldn't see much more than where the bed was located, her old desk, and the neatly organized walk-in closet. Lorelai was making her daughter wait until she'd arrived to see it all.

In the meantime, she'd received a number of photos of the former Crap Shack. Luke had put several hours worth of work into it before Lane and Zack moved in, painting Rory's old room - now the boys' room - and making sure the porch was devoid of any splinters, among many other things. Lane had sent her a picture of herself having tea in the kitchen and Rory smiled fondly seeing her old kitchen table and chairs back. She hadn't realized her mother had kept it after the renovations, and wondered if that had been her mom's idea or Lane's.

The garage still kept its pink, glittery interior, but most of the walls were now covered with posters and square blocks of sound-proofing. Rory had laughed over a picture of Steve on Lane's lap. The two were seated behind her drums, one of her pink faux-hair clips attached to his hair as he held her drum sticks above his head triumphantly.

Rory frowned at Miles as he took the chair across from her. The slump in his shoulders and unhappy expression were foreboding.

"So, we're probably stuck here for another two days," he sighed, taking a sip of his coffee as he leaned back into his chair.

"Nooo," Rory moaned sadly. "What are we supposed to even do? I don't even know what's around us."

"Well, it shouldn't be this bad by tomorrow, I don't think, so we might be able to venture out on foot. But the plows aren't running yet, so the streets are pretty much shut down. I expect we'll be spending most of our time in here," he motioned to the cafe. "I'm sure as hell not blowing my per diem on the five dollar per cup coffee in my room."

"God, what's with that? That's the cruelest form of torture. Rich people are stupid," Rory glanced over to observe one of the full-glass windows facing what would be the hotel's garden area, and tried to imagine what it looked like beyond the impenetrable wall of snow.

"I've avoided snow for three years. This is what I get for not experiencing my fair share," Miles said as he noticed where she was staring.

"How'd you avoid it, given your endless wanderings?"

"That's exactly how. Short-term contract jobs in winter, in sunny places only. Best idea was photographing volcanoes in Hawaii. Ended up doing that twice."

Rory glared as she was reminded of her mom and stepfather, "Has everyone been to Hawaii but me? How did I manage to date the trust fund kid for three years and not get a trip to Hawaii out of it?"

"Seriously. That's some poor trip planning on your part. Who else that you've talked to recently went to Hawaii?"

"Mom and Luke. The ol' honeymoon. I've left a few surly voicemails so she doesn't forget how lucky she is," Rory sighed and sipped her coffee slowly, thinking how good the candy cane coffee from Weston's would be on this particular cold, snowy day. "So, what's the plan for the Evenson Family Christmas?"

Miles wrinkled his nose, "Rory, your family's the one with all the good stories. What are _you_ doing for Christmas?"

"I talk about my family all the time. Your turn to start."

"I don't know, I guess I'll go home, swing by my buddy's house to pick up all the crap I've been shipping there, and decide who gets what as a gift. Play some hockey. Take a bunch of posed shots for the family, and then go escape somewhere to hide from all of 'em."

"Sounds like someone has a case of the Grinch," Rory pursed her lips. "And pickup hockey? I didn't realize hockey was terribly big in Kansas City."

"It's not. I was mostly raised there, but the family's been up in Vermont since I was in high school or so... what?" he stopped, confused by Rory's frown.

"This whole time, I thought you were heading home to the midwest, and you're actually going just north of me?"

"Vermont isn't _my_ home, I'm visiting my parents and family there. And it's the first time I've been back for Christmas in about five years."

"Home for you is where your camera is right?" Rory asked and Miles shrugged in response. "So you're going home to Vermont."

"Touché, Ms. Gilmore," Miles grinned.

"And what else happens? Snowman building contest? Sledding? Christmas dinner? Come on, Mr. Evenson, you owe me some family details."

"No snowman building contest, but I usually end up in a snowball fight with the neighborhood kids at some point. No good hills to really sled down in my area. There will definitely be a Christmas dinner. Lots of coffee and hot chocolate. I make a mean homemade hot chocolate."

"You've been holding out on me!" Rory gasped, "I happen to love hot chocolate."

"Holding out on you?!" he laughed. "I need a stove and a pot, and like five different types of chocolate." When she pouted, he rolled his eyes, "Okay, if you and I and a real kitchen are ever in the same place at the same time, I'll make you hot chocolate. With homemade whipped cream."

"And homemade marshmallows?" Rory's eyes widened.

"Don't push it," Miles stood, chuckling. "I've got photos to edit. Wanna play match the photo to the article later? I know you've got two more pieces done and waiting to go live."

"Yes, please," she waved as he walked away, wondering if he was typically downplaying the holidays, or if he was genuinely ambivalent about them.

Rory finished her coffee and ordered a second one to take back upstairs with her while she got a little work done, and tried to envision Luke in a flower lei.

* * *

Luke groaned as he dropped onto the king sized bed in their hotel room, "Never again."

"Aw, don't say that." Lorelai pouted as she pulled a few dresses out of her luggage and hung them in the closet. She stopped and turned to her husband with her hands on her hips. "It was a lot of flying, it's not usually like that. And you, sir, unlike the rest of the world at large, have flown fourteen hours without ever having to set foot in coach. You should be singing right now."

"Oh, I am. Inside," he turned to glance out the window and frowned, "We should've taken a red eye. We don't even get to enjoy the view."

"I'll give you a different view to enjoy later if you promise to stop sounding like a grumpy old man," Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"Sorry," Luke grimaced. "It wasn't bad, but that many hours of flying, coupled with a layover that was long enough for a bathroom break and standing in line at some awful fast food place, only to realize we had to board two people away from ordering... that sucked."

"Hey, that sucked for you more than for me. The plane food wasn't all that great, even for first class, and I'm about to chew my arm off."

"The restaurant downstairs is still open."

"Are you kidding me?" she scoffed. "I'm not leaving this room until the sun is up, and then it's straight to the beach," Lorelai grinned, flipping through the folder laying on the nearby table before handing it to Luke. "Room service. Let me know what you want and I'll order."

"Works for me," Luke replied, sitting up as he read through the menu.

Queen's "You're My Best Friend" chimed tinnily from Lorelai's purse and she ran over to it, quickly answering.

"Now, see, it's a good thing you called me, because I wasn't going to call you back after the three harassing voicemails you left," Lorelai said sternly to her daughter.

"If you had my view you'd understand my discontent," Rory retorted, shooting a final glance at her hotel room's snow-covered window before drawing the drapes shut. "I assume you've made it safely to paradise."

"We have. And they changed our flight time in LA, so we only had about twenty minutes of stretching time before our next flight, no time to eat, and Luke's pouting."

"I'm not pouting!" he called out, loudly enough for Rory to hear.

"Definitely sounds grumpy," Rory chuckled. "How's your view?"

Lorelai peeked out the dark window and, unable to see anything other than the darkness of night, frowned. She saw Luke move out of the corner of her eye, and smiled as he removed the shirt he'd been wearing for almost an entire day, tossing it somewhere toward his luggage in a messy, uncharacteristic fashion. He flopped back onto the bed, closing his eyes and resting his hand on his chest.

"My view's fan _tas_ tic."

"You are looking out the window when you say that, right?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Set my own damn self up for that one," Rory muttered under her breath, "Have you guys eaten yet? I've got some tips from Miles for you."

"We were about to order room service. We'll venture out and try the local flavors tomorrow. What saith the world traveller?"

"Kalua pork is a definite must, this shaved ice place called Ululani's. Loco moco for breakfast - though by the sounds of things that's more of a you thing than a Luke thing, and he said don't feel like you've had too much pineapple, because it's just that good." Rory paused. "He's been there twice."

"I'll try to remember," Lorelai smiled, pressing her hand against her gnawing stomach. "Were you just calling to see if we made it, or...?"

"Yeah, pretty much. And to mope. Because we've got whiteout conditions here, in case you hadn't heard."

"I heard. Sorry, babe, can't help ya there. I'm gonna leave you to my dear, sweet, friend snow to sort out your differences, and order some food before my stomach eats itself."

Rory sighed heavily, "Fiiiiiiine. Tell Luke I said hi. In a manner befitting my relationship to him, not yours, please."

"Ha! Will do. Stay warm, love ya."

Lorelai giggled as she heard Rory sigh again before hanging up and glanced back at the man about to start snoring. Frowning, she grabbed the room service menu that had slid off the bed and read through it. Deciding on her selection, she made sure to get a fair bit of air as she bounced onto the bed, jostling its dozing occupant.

"That necessary? You can't just say 'Hey, Luke, are you awake?'" he grumbled.

"Rory said to say hi to you in a manner befitting her relationship to you."

Luke chuckled, sitting up against the headboard, "Rory would never be so rude."

"Well, I may have aged her down a little. If we'd gotten married right after I met you, she so would've done that. You know what you're getting?"

"That huli huli chicken sandwich, a side salad, you pick an appetizer and dessert."

Lorelai raised her eyebrows, impressed, "Someone's hungry."

"Starving. Oh, and order two bottles of that pineapple wine."

"Okay, who the hell are you and what'd you do with Luke Danes?" Lorelai stared at him as she slid off the bed and reached for the phone, placing their order. After, she plopped back down next to him and poked him in the side. "You gonna hula hula for your huli huli?"

"No."

"What about for your honey honey?"

"Nope."

"They have shows and they pick volunteers to do the hula, and often times wives pick their husbands and-"

Luke glared, "If you ever want coffee from me again, you will not do that to me."

"Aw, come on, Luke. Even if I get you good and drunk?"

"Especially if you get me drunk."

"No fun," Lorelai pouted, but nonetheless leaned over to kiss him, "Speaking of good and drunk, two bottles of wine?"

"Two bottles of that won't get either of us drunk, just a little tipsy. We deserve a few drinks, and it seemed festive," Luke shrugged.

"It is definitely festive. Very Un-Luke. And that may get you out of doing the hula for me and our fifty closest tourist friends."

"I can be festive."

Lorelai patted his leg, "Aw, sure you can, honey."

"Santa burger. I hung your Christmas lights on more than one occasion," he began counting off items on his fingers, "In fact, that first year we were together, I decorated your tree and your entire house with you. Any town holiday you were involved in got some kind of poster in my window. I drank not one, but two bottles of champagne with you on our first date despite disliking the stuff. Oh, and let's not forget Halloween. Every year, Rory and Lane had a handful of full-sized candy bars waiting for them and there were always at least two extras for you. Halloween two years ago, I got dragged into that insane display you and Babette put on. Halloween this year, I-"

"Okay, okay, but each of those things involved me in some way, you aren't naturally inclined toward being festive."

"I am with some things, but you're right, you tend to draw it out of me. And since it's our honeymoon..." he glanced at her expectantly.

She grinned flirtatiously, dipping her head slightly, "Since it's our honeymoon, what? You want to see my festive bra?"

Luke burst into laughter at her random comment and stood, shaking his head as he moved a safe distance away, "Probably, but after dinner. I don't want the room service guy admiring your festive underwear too. I was gonna say, since it's our honeymoon, we drink festive pineapple wine."

Lorelai flopped backwards onto the bed with a grin, watching as Luke grabbed his toiletries case and a clean shirt and headed into the bathroom. Before he left the room, he turned to smile back with a wink.

* * *

Rory was seated next to Miles in his room, her arms resting flat on the table in front of her as she leaned her head on her forearms, watching him flip through a few photos. She sat up at the most recent one and pointed.

"Oh my god, short hair."

Miles snorted, "It's usually not this long, I've just been lazy."

She leaned forward to take a closer look. "It's nice."

"Nice?"

She glared at him, "You're pretty with short hair, is that better?"

Miles rolled his eyes and moved on to the next picture. "You know who that is."

"I do? Who?"

"Batu. And that's his yak." He pointed to the thermos in Batu's hand, "And the famous coffee."

Rory grinned. "He has a nice smile. Genuine."

"Pretty?"

"You tell me," she raised her eyebrow.

"Blech. Time to switch gears. Recognize this guy?" Miles opened a different album and Rory gasped.

"I'd know those green eyes anywhere. My, you are all adorable and innocent looking," she grabbed his arm, "Where'd that go?"

Miles snorted and pointed to the girl in the photo, "That's my little sister, Tara."

"Little? What's the age gap there?" Rory chuckled at the two little kids playing in the mud.

"About a year. My parents were nuts."

"What does she do?"

"She does everything my parents probably wanted me to do. She's a doctor, part time ski and snowboard instructor. And wife. And mother of two. The less disappointing of the Evenson children."

"You've had photos published all over the world. You think your parents really feel that way?" Rory frowned.

"Probably not anymore, but..." Miles shut his laptop and leaned back in his chair. "Went through some rough times early on. Photography equipment is expensive."

"So is med school."

"Yeah, but the results are promising. Loaning your eighteen year old kid several grand for expensive glass in a tube seems like enabling a hobby, not encouraging a career. I get it. Took me a few years, but I understand where they were coming from, to an extent. Of course, then I hear your stories, and I think maybe I was right to be bitter."

Rory shook her head, "Can't compare. My situation's unique."

"Still."

"No, not still. It's different and it's not normal. She was my mom when she needed to be, but mostly she was one of my best friends. Like, talking about the future wasn't within reason, it was imaginative. Sometimes I'd get obsessed with an occupation in a book and we'd talk for days about how we'd make it happen. The next week, it was something different, but she never played devil's advocate or tried to even be realistic about it. Like using your imagination with your friends - if you wanted to be an astronaut, you were an astronaut. No one brought up the fact that you get severe motion sickness, you just used the bed as the moon."

"That's probably how it should be," Miles said, resting his head on his hand. "You get motion sickness?"

"I did when I was little. Outgrew it eventually. Probably not enough to make being an astronaut a viable career choice, though. Plus, the moon's probably not nearly as fun as jumping on a bed."

"I'm mad you didn't come find me when your mom drove out to have dinner with you. She's fascinating."

Rory guffawed and rolled her eyes, "Not the first time I've heard that. Dinner was too short already. Didn't need you around interrogating my mother about my childhood. And anyway, even with all the support, I've still managed to disappoint her a few times in my life. Once badly enough we didn't speak for months."

"Yeah right. What'd you do?"

"Got arrested, plead guilty for grand theft boating, and dropped out of Yale." Rory crossed her arms in front of her while she waited for him to stop laughing in disbelief.

* * *

"Can I take this thing off now?" Luke asked as Lorelai returned to the rental jeep she'd parked in order to check in and make sure their accommodations were ready. Eager to surprise Luke with the camping trip she'd organized, she'd required a blindfold before they departed from their hotel on Kauai.

"Sure. We drove past all the obvious giveaways. I still have to walk you there, but you're too stubborn and untrusting to try and navigate blindfolded."

Luke slid the blindfold off and glanced around, looking for some kind of hint as to where they were. With no obvious clues in sight, he frowned at Lorelai, "I do trust you, and I'm not stubborn. I just figure I've got these eyes stuck in my head, I should probably make good use of 'em."

"Good cover," she smirked as she hopped back out. "Grab your stuff, we probably won't be coming back here till tomorrow."

"Uh, we still have the rest of our stuff at the hotel."

"Uh-huh, let's see you put that trusting thing to good use."

Luke clamped his mouth shut and grabbed the brightly colored, Hawaiian print duffle bag Lorelai had insisted he buy for whatever excursion it was she had planned. He was excited for the Kauai portion of the trip, though also knew it signified there were only a few days left before they returned to Stars Hollow.

The last time he'd traveled, it had been with Nicole on a cruise. Staying on what seemed to be a tiny moving city wasn't his idea of a great vacation. He hadn't hated it, but he didn't love it, either, and the experience would be forever marred by a drunken marriage he could barely remember the events of.

His honeymoon with Lorelai, however, more than made up for forty years of local travel. He'd enjoyed every silly touristy thing they'd done almost as much as the afternoons spent lounging on the beach. In fact, Luke had enjoyed himself so much, that he even allowed Lorelai a fair amount of mocking for embracing the tourist lifestyle before diverting her attention.

Luke watched Lorelai's tanned back ahead of him as they walked through a patch of tree-lined grass and down a hill. He'd been amazed at how many mostly hidden freckles had come out to play as her skin tanned, especially the light ones sprinkled across her nose and cheeks. They were normally so faint, and often disguised by makeup that he hadn't even known they existed until after they'd started dating and she'd first crawled in bed with a freshly scrubbed face.

A bright flash of color distracted him and he noticed a fairly large tent set up on a secluded beach. Two hammocks were strung up next to each other, two towels laid near the ocean, a cooler between them. A basket of fruit sat upon a picnic bench.

"What is this?"

"This is why you had to be blindfolded. I know this isn't your style of camping, but I don't think I'm quite ready for that," Lorelai shifted her duffle bag to her other shoulder. Luke had never taken her camping before, and she'd always felt weird asking, knowing it was one of the things he did to get away from people. She had a feeling he'd want to introduce any children of theirs to the activity, however, and figured she might as well get her foot in the door early so she wouldn't be left behind later.

"I don't think you'll ever be ready for anything rustic, but I think this is a great way to start," Luke gazed at the calm greenish blue water and shook his head in amazement. As someone who already appreciated the outdoors, even he never knew nature could even be this beautiful.

"Can I take your bag, sir?" Lorelai smirked as she stood next to the tent, hand on her hip.

"Ah, oops," he chuckled, realizing he still had his duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He tossed it in the tent, raising his eyebrows at the air mattress that was twice the height he was used to.

"Take note," Lorelai said as she poked him in the back, "That is what an air mattress should look like."

"That's what a bed should look like. An air mattress is just that - a mattress made of air, and meant to be stashed in a backpack, not-"

"When you're camping Lorelai Style, or, y'know, if you're a nephew visiting from Philadelphia, that is the kind of air mattress one expects."

"Yeah, yeah, Jess already griped to me about it after the wedding. Doesn't matter, by the next time he shows up in Stars Hollow again, the apartment will be overtaken by a haven for caffeine addictions."

"Not coming home for Christmas?"

"Has he ever?" Luke smirked, "Actually, Liz is going to, uh, surprise him the day after Christmas in Philly."

"Oh, no. Poor Jess."

"Yeah," Luke grinned, removing his jeans to reveal his swim trunks, "I'd pay good money to see him awkwardly holding Doula again."

"I know for a fact you wouldn't. You adore your niece, and she was lucky you were two feet away to reach over and catch her." Lorelai also began switching to swimwear as they talked, "And after that, I'm pretty sure Liz isn't going to force her son to hold his sister again."

"I wouldn't even trust him with Paul Anka. Kid can barely take care of himself."

Lorelai chuckled and shook her head, knowing he was joking. Luke had spent a lot of time talking to Jess before and after the wedding, getting the kind of details that Jess would normally dodge or ignore over email. Truncheon was doing better than he'd ever expected, Jess had moved into his own apartment, was not only dating someone, but actually showing up on time for dates. The only one who hadn't been surprised by any of it was Rory.

"Speaking of Paul Anka," Lorelai said, reaching for the sunscreen, "We may return home to find he's learned a few more tricks."

"Do I want to know?" Luke asked as she stood in front of him, handing him the bottle of sunscreen. He began rubbing the lotion into her back and shoulders.

"Probably not. There was something about a gnome," Lorelai walked over her bag, unearthing her facial sunscreen. She'd been obsessively applying it since they'd arrived, and though it had prevented her face from burning, it hadn't stopped a warm tan from setting in. She was annoyed knowing she'd likely have to purchase new makeup when she got home. As she applied the sunscreen carefully, she noticed Luke had paused in his own sunscreen application process to stare. "What? Did I leave a white glob somewhere?"

"No, I was just thinking how we should do this every year at some point. Keep the spots showing."

"Spots?" Lorelai looked at him with a horrified expression.

"Freckles."

She wrinkled her nose, "Use the proper term, please, spots implies something else entirely. And I'm buying the highest SPF they have next time. And a hat."

Luke shrugged, "I like 'em."

"I don't. I'm almost forty, not ten. Ugh. Forty. I don't like where this conversation is going. New subject, please."

"It's not so bad. The 'F' word."

"Oh, I know," she leered.

"The other F word," Luke laughed as they walked out to the water. Lorelai spent most of the next hour unsuccessfully attempting to catch Luke off guard in order to dunk him under the water; she ended up being the one dunked instead. Eventually, they moved to the hammocks in the shade, sipping a local beer Lorelai had requested for Luke.

She stared down at her husband who was laying in the opposite direction, facing her. Husband. Though they'd only been married less than two months, the new term of endearment felt natural, as if they'd been saying it for years. She'd never expected that thinking of someone as a _husband_ would come so easily, and feel so comfortable. It had only ever felt awkward thinking of Chris that way, and she'd used the term as often as possible to try and convince herself it was what she wanted. It was a relief to know that regardless of obstacle, circumstance, or unexpected events, she and Luke were both exactly where they were meant to be.

Lorelai smiled and stretched, sliding her foot over to Luke's hammock, causing it to rock slightly as she nestled her foot next to his hip. The motion caused him to jerk from his light dose.

"Don't you dare," Luke warned, readjusting to wrap his hand around her ankle, "You flip me and I'm taking you with me."

"I wasn't going to flip you, I just wanted to touch you. This distrust thing is making me very sad, I'll have you know."

Luke eyed her warily, not entirely sure if she wanted him to fall prey to her sappy comment, or if she truly meant it. He loosened his grasp on her ankle and moved his hand a few inches away, waiting a moment before dropping it back on his chest. She tucked her foot under his hip and stared at the sky thoughtfully.

A few minutes later, she broke the comfortable silence.

"Did you mean what you said earlier? About doing this every year?"

Luke looked down at her, and shrugged slightly, "Maybe not something this big, as amazing as it's been, but... yeah, I think taking time out to enjoy a yearly vacation is a good idea. Ditch the crazies for a bit."

"I guess we have the boat for that."

"True, that makes it easy, but it can't hurt to do other stuff. We could make it a family vacation sometimes, too, bring the girls with."

Lorelai sighed, thinking of Rory and feeling the endless love/hate relationship she had with Rory's chosen career. It was something she was never sure if she should thank herself or berate herself for encouraging. A family vacation would likely mean Luke, April, and herself, assuming the population of their household hadn't changed. It made her sad to imagine a family trip to Hawaii without Rory. But such was the reality of having an adult daughter. It was only a matter of time before April would have her own life, independent of Luke, Anna, and herself as well.

She was startled from her thoughts when she felt Luke's foot situate itself next to her, mimicking her position. "Whatcha thinkin' about?" he asked, poking her hip with his toes.

"Rory. April. Their lives. Our lives," she sighed. "It's cruel that they grow up so fast. Rory never really got to go away for a vacation until Europe."

"I seem to remember an impromptu road trip when she was still in high school."

"Running from reality and distracting yourself from a depressing situation is not quite the same as a real, planned vacation," Lorelai pouted a little, dragging her fingers over the top of Luke's foot. "I'm really glad we did that Europe trip when she graduated from high school."

Luke nodded, smirking as he recalled the jar of jam he'd received from Sookie's pantry. He and Sookie had a good laugh over it when he returned it later that day, and he'd spent that night recalling Lorelai's words about no gift being good enough. He still maintained he hadn't been pining, but he definitely held onto the little morsels she'd throw him from time to time. Her excuse for not buying him a gift was so genuine, that alone had been gift enough.

"Where do you think April will end up?" Lorelai asked, interrupting his reminiscing.

"I don't know. I don't think April knows. I like her not knowing."

Lorelai smiled knowingly, "Keeps her young."

"Yup." Luke smiled a little, "She's been talking more about visiting Yale, though. I thought your dad was going to leave the wedding reception early with April and sneak onto the campus."

"God, not another one," Lorelai groaned.

"I think it's good," Luke laughed as Lorelai reacted with a confused face. "Oh, come on, things are good with your parents, even from my perspective. And besides, my parents are gone, she never got to know Anna's dad. Your dad's the closest thing she's got to a grandfather. Plus, he seems to like smart kids."

Lorelai immediately glanced down at that, recalling her own childhood. She'd picked up on that early in life, herself. In the earlier days, every good grade, every day spent behaving in class was rewarded with some kind of prize. It was less the item, and more the affections from her father that mattered to her.

As she aged, her flawless report cards were simply expected and no longer impressive. There were additional academic activities she was expected to partake in, and she'd grown to resent it all. There was more to her than grades, and that part of her was suffocating by constantly trying to reach standards consistently set higher than she wanted to reach. By the time she was a teenager, she'd grown tired of jumping.

Her grades had never slipped, though. Despite what she'd told April, Lorelai had enjoyed the educational part of school. It hadn't been difficult to stay at an average pace after spending so much of her younger years pushing herself. The grades came easily, and not overworking herself meant more free time.

She was still at the top of her class - a fact which her parents had held over her head for decades - when she stared in shock at a positive pregnancy test.

It was Rory that had changed Richard. He'd been easily impressed by her intelligence when the Friday night dinners began, but beyond that, he developed the ability to see Rory beyond her book smarts. He loved her for her humor, her interests, and passions. He'd even encouraged her love of travel. There had been moments, very brief moments, but moments nonetheless, where Lorelai had felt jealous of her daughter's relationship with him. And now there was April, who would get to experience a far more evolved version of the man who'd raised Lorelai.

Luke jostled her hammock slightly, pulling her from her thoughts. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No. It's good. You're right. And smart or stupid, I think he'll like our kids as well."

Luke nodded slowly, and decided not to press Lorelai about where her mind had drifted. If It was important, he'd hear about it eventually.

After a nap, Luke pulled out the map Lorelai had gotten from the small shed that served as the check-in spot for the campground and decided on a hiking trail. Though tempted to cater to his wife's preferred lack of physical exertion and pick an easy route, he figured it could very well be years before he convinced her to do this again, and went for something a little more intense.

In the end, Lorelai stayed true to the promise she'd made when they first planned their honeymoon, and followed along with few complaints; she'd even been excited about it when the trail reached its apex, giving them an impressive view of the ocean.

They returned to the campground, and after making quick use of the unimpressively heated campground showers, returned to their camp site just in time to watch the sunset as Luke built a fire.

"That is the sexiest thing I have ever seen in my life," Lorelai grinned widely as she watched Luke finish off his s'more.

"I like s'mores," he replied with a shrug.

"So not true. Every single time Rory and I have had them, either at home or at the diner, you've refused."

"Because s'mores are a camping thing, or a beach thing. You make and eat them outdoors, with a fire. They lose their appeal entirely if you make them too regularly," Luke gently poked Lorelai in the side, "And I realize that excuse sounds like something you would say. Stop rubbing off on me."

"You sure weren't complaining about that a few hours ago," she murmured, reaching for another piece of chocolate as Luke threw a marshmallow at her. She laughed, grabbing a fresh marshmallow. "Okay, last s'more and then you show me how the heck you make coffee out here with my fancy new bag of Kona beans."

* * *

"Hello, Luke! Hey! Smoked salmon _instead of_ bacon on the special eggs benedict, not some freakish hybrid!"

Luke paused on the phone, waiting for Sookie to finish shouting instructions to the Dragonfly's kitchen staff. He twirled a thermometer between his fingers as he waited.

"Sorry," Sookie sighed. "What's up?"

"Just calling to let you know Lorelai's gonna be out for another day or two. She said something about Michel needing to help Gabby out with some list."

"Out?" Sookie cocked her head and walked into the pantry. "Out for what reason?"

"She's pretty sick."

Sookie raised her eyebrows. Luke and Lorelai had returned from their Hawaii trip two days prior, and she knew her friend wasn't known for getting sick.

"Sick, huh?" Sookie asked.

"Yeah," Luke frowned as he put the thermometer back in the bathroom cabinet. "Pretty sure she picked this up on one of the flights on the way home."

"Oh. I'll swing by later with some soup. Something bland, I know that always helped me," she hinted, smirking.

"Actually, I'd say add something to give it a bit of a kick," Luke replied distractedly, making out his list of things to pick up at Doose's. "I was going to make this spicy chicken soup-"

"Spicy, huh? So soon?" Sookie scratched her head, "I have a few recipes. I can handle the soup, Luke. I'll swing by later. She need anything else?"

"Nah, I'm running to Doose's before I head to the diner. Just wanted to let you know your other half is out and make sure, uh, whatever list it is Gabby needs Michel's help with gets taken care of. That's all I got from her before she passed out again."

"Oh. I'm not sure what that is either, but I'll pass it along. I'm sure Gabby and Michel know."

Luke said goodbye after a few more odd questions from Sookie. He shook his head, finished his list, and checked on Lorelai one more time. She was finally asleep, her head propped up with an extra pillow. He decided against waking her, figuring she wouldn't even notice he'd disappeared for twenty minutes.

A few hours later, Lorelai answered the front door in her robe, smiling when she saw the gigantic pot of soup Sookie carried.

"Bit mudge, dode you thick?" Lorelai attempted, then rolled her eyes as she reached for a tissue.

Sookie's smile faded. "You're sick."

Lorelai blew her nose before replying as she followed Sookie to the kitchen. "Sinus infection. The kid in the row behind us the entire flight from California to Hartford was coughing and sneezing. And now I'm coughing and sneezing. Got the prescription stuff and everything."

"I didn't think you were... like... _sick_ sick." Sookie placed the pot on the stove and turned on the burner. "Should just be a few minutes. Luke said spicy, so I figured you had some kind of craving."

"Craving?" She poured a cup of coffee as she gave Sookie a strange look and sat at the kitchen table, "I'm not even really hungry, but spicy's usually nice to help clear the breathing passages and I'm desperate."

"I mean, you're not pregnant."

"Oh my god," Lorelai groaned, dropping her head into her hands, relishing the feel of her warm fingers against her pained sinuses, "No. Didn't Luke tell you I was sick?"

"Yeah, but it was morning and I figured..." Sookie sighed. "Well, I figured wrong, apparently." She moved to the spice rack, eyeing Luke's extensive collection, and reached for a few different spices to add more of a kick to the soup.

Lorelai held up a hand tiredly, "I love you, Sookie, and I love you for bringing me soup, but I really need you to stop thinking that every little thing I've said since the wedding is some indication that I'm pregnant. When there's something to tell you, I'll tell you. But you're starting to make me freak out about every little thing I say or do giving someone a hint when there's nothing to hint about."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But I thought you two had decided-"

"We did. We are. But we're not... it's not like when you and Jackson were trying for Martha. We're taking it easy. When one of us starts worrying, we'll deal with that, but you're more focused on this than Luke and I are," Lorelai winced as the tissue touched the raw skin under her nose.

"I really am sorry. I'm just excited for you finally getting to this place, that's all," Sookie apologized, genuinely this time.

Lorelai nodded. It wasn't just Sookie. Babette had been dropping hints since the wedding. Patty had given her some fertility yoga book after they'd moved into the new house. Bootsy had even made an off-color remark as she was looking at a magazine that happened to have a pregnant celebrity on the cover.

She knew they meant well, but Lorelai was tired of it. It wasn't something anyone should be focused on, especially if age and the universe were against them, something Lorelai was trying desperately not to worry about with each passing week.

She dropped her head into her hands and closed her eyes, massaging her throbbing sinuses as she listened to Sookie moving around the kitchen.

"Let it simmer a bit, I spiced it up a little more. Luke said spicy, but I didn't really think... anyway. It's spicier now. And a little more intense than I usually make it."

"Thank you," Lorelai said gratefully, "I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"Don't be, you're right. And I'm sorry you're sick. At least it wasn't the flight there that infected you."

"Tell me about it. Not being able to breathe in that tropical air would've made me so sad," Lorelai sipped her coffee and paused for a moment as the warm air permeated her congested breathing passages. "You should dump the kids with Jackson's family and go to Hawaii, yourselves. It's magnificent."

"Jackson's terrified to go further than a few hours of driving when we ditch the kids. He'd finally started to be okay with the idea before we found out about Theo. Any major travel plans without the kids will have to wait another four years or so," Sookie sighed. "Anyway, anything else I can bring you?"

"Nah, Luke ran to the twenty-four hour drugstore in Woodbury last night for me, and Doose's this morning. Just gonna take it easy the next few days. This damn thing has me devoid of energy anyway, and based on our conversation, I think I'm too grumpy to be released to the general population. Everything okay at the inn?"

Sookie nodded as she walked toward the entryway, "Nothing pressing. If you weren't sick, you probably would've gone home early anyway, so just focus on relaxing and getting well."

"Yes ma'am. Bye, Sookie, thanks again," Lorelai smiled gratefully as she shut the door behind her friend. She took a deep breath and started coughing. "Child in row 1B, I hate you, and I hope you got your parents sick."

After a few cups of soup, more medication, and another nap, Lorelai piled several pillows behind her as she giggled over a nearly unreadable text from Luke. Her phone buzzed in her hand amid her amusement and her face lit up when she saw it was Rory calling.

"I think karma kicked my ass for teasing you about the snow," Lorelai answered, wincing at the sound of her own voice.

"You sound bad!" Rory exclaimed, shutting her laptop to ignore the email from Scott Morrow that contained seemingly endless amounts of suggestions, "Are you _worse_ than the last time I talked to you?"

"No, always sounds that way when I first wake up. Been in and out of sleep all day. Now I know why I avoid getting sick. This sucks. Tell me something fun."

"Well, bad news on that front. Nothing fun is happening here. We're all in a rush to get a bunch of things done before Christmas, and I'm out of words. Even my editor knows it. I have absolutely zero words left in my brain, so he has a whole lot of words in an email for me."

"Well, that's _really_ not fun."

"Believe me, I know," Rory stood up from the desk in her hotel room and stretched her back, "Luke taking good care of you for me, at least?"

"The best. He sent me a text a bit ago. I have no idea what it means, but I assume he was checking up on me, so that was sweet. How's your defrosting going?"

Rory glanced at the frost covered window behind her with a pout, "I'd like to give the senator's campaign manager a piece of my mind for scheduling us in the midwest at this time of year instead of the west coast. Or, y'know, Hawaii."

"Mmm, Hawaii. I bet no one is ever sick in Hawaii. You should move there for your next job. Shack up with a nice surfer boy and write about the waves while sipping tropical drinks."

Rory cringed as she heard her mother's wheezing cough in the background, "I don't know, the travel and potential for infection doesn't seem worth it."

"The flight there is fine, it's coming back that damages you. I'm so bored," Lorelai sighed, "How many days, Rory?"

"Five. And April's there in four. So you need to keep resting," Rory grimaced, thinking of the number of days left. Three articles to finish in five days wasn't impossible, she'd done far more in the past, but seeing all the Christmas decorations going up around her was making her miss her own Christmas traditions and it was distracting. She wanted to walk around Stars Hollow with a cup of candy cane coffee from Weston's, watch kids take pictures with Santa in the town square, watch Patty's latest Nutcracker "showcase", and watch Taylor gripe at Luke for lacking the Christmas spirit. She'd missed it all the previous year, spending it in London with Logan.

Rory hadn't realized she'd been verbalizing her thoughts until her mother replied.

"Wow, I didn't even think about how much we had to make up for after last year's pathetic attempt. There is no Santa in the square this year, by the way. Ol' Gary Franz retired and moved to Florida, so they had Kirk step in and play Santa. Bryce Banyon screamed and kicked him when his beard slipped, and Kirk ripped the Santa costume when he jumped up to chase him down."

"They didn't have you sew it?"

"Well, he ran into the kettle corn cart and the grease stains won't come out. So the costume was tossed, and with it went Santa. There's no money in the winter events budget for more material this year unless they cut corners on the winter festival, but you know that's not an option, so Taylor has requested my services to make a new one next year."

"Oh, Stars Hollow," Rory laughed. "I should let you go, Mom, you sound worse than when you answered and I really need you much improved by the time I get there."

"But I'm bored, Rory! We haven't gotten a TV for the bedroom, I'm already sick of the book I was reading, Paul Anka's afraid of my cough, and Luke hid the work I brought home," Lorelai whined. "I don't do sick. I still have Christmas shopping to do."

"Oh, well there you go. Go grab your laptop, finish your Christmas shopping online."

* * *

When Luke returned home later that evening, he found his wife deep asleep. The laptop was still open on her lap, her head lolled to one side.

He chuckled and reached to shut the laptop, pausing when he caught a glimpse of the screen and smiled seeing a shirt that, given its color and style, was clearly meant for April. Christmas shopping. With the mad rush they'd been in to get the house unpacked before their trip, taking the trip, and returning home, only for Lorelai to get hit with a nasty sinus infection, Christmas had completely slipped his mind. At least one of them was trying to stay on top of things.

He thought back to the time Lorelai had flown in to save April's birthday party and, despite his protestations, had still gotten April the perfect gift. There were too many memories that made him want to go back in time and smack himself for some of the things he'd said and done during that tumultuous period of his life.

Touching his thumb to his wedding ring, Luke reminded himself of the deal he and Lorelai had made the night before their wedding not to keep looking back and dwelling on the many regrets of their past. He minimized the browser and grinned widely at Lorelai's new desktop wallpaper, one of the photos she'd forced them to take at the campsite with her camera's timer feature.

She was wearing one of the brightly colored Hawaiian print dresses she'd picked up with a hibiscus flower tucked over her ear, her hair completely unkempt in the ocean air. His own hair was covered by his "honeymoon hat" as Lorelai had dubbed it. Having left his usual blue hat at home, he expressed concern over sunburn, and they'd stopped by one of the shops to buy him a temporary replacement.

He'd reached for a black baseball cap with a subdued silver palm tree stitched on the front. Lorelai had dramatically knocked it out of his hands, expressing horror over the color, and handing him a cerulean blue hat with Hawaiian print decorating the brim. It was far more outlandish than anything he'd have ever chosen, but something about the combination of the ocean air and Lorelai's dazzling grin had taken the fight right out of him.

The honeymoon had reminded him so much of the early days of their relationship, when the anxiety of doing or saying something that might make the other change their mind had begun tapering off and they'd found a comfortable rhythm. It was too brief, that short era where complications evaded them, and they'd yet to discover how much pain they could cause each other. Now, they were filled with the knowledge of how bad and how good things could be, and could continue moving forward far more wisely than they had in the past.

"Don't blow it," Luke whispered to the smiling man in the photo before closing the laptop and standing to set it on the the dresser.

"Won't let ya," Lorelai barked hoarsely from the bed as she moved his pillows back to his spot and rolled over onto her side. She smiled briefly at him before falling back to sleep.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: Ho`oilo is Hawaiian for winter._

 _And the in-room, overpriced coffee in a hotel that has cheaper, better coffee at their cafe? That actually happened to me on a business trip. Absolute bullshit. Apparently, it made me so mad, it wound up in this fic about two years after the fact. Sorry, Rory. ;)_


	36. Christmas Wishes

**Chapter 36: Christmas Wishes**

"Luke!" Lorelai called from the snow-covered front yard. "Luuuuuke!"

Luke opened the front door and started walking toward the voice, "Sorry, I was- what the hell did you do?"

Lorelai grinned widely as she glanced in the back of Luke's truck. She'd begun shopping for Christmas decorations the first day she felt her sinus infection starting to give up the fight. Luke had joined her on the first few shopping sprees, but after he'd made one too many comments about crap made in China and making the house look like Disneyland, Lorelai had banished him. She'd borrowed his truck that morning to purchase the remaining decorations for the yard and exterior of the house.

Luke gaped at the back of his truck, seeing it filled with outdoor Christmas decorations. Light-up candy canes to line the walkway to the house, a gigantic inflatable snowman, and a massive tree made of lights were the items Luke could get a clear look at. Below them were several other decorations ranging from several fake pine garland strands interwoven with white lights to massive red bows.

"Lorelai," Luke groaned, "What happened to keeping it simple?"

"I believe I threw it out two seconds after you suggested it. Come on, Luke, it's fun! And did you see the neighbors' houses? We can't be _that_ house, y'know, the one that makes zero effort. We have to at least put a little work into this."

"Yeah, because hanging the gigantic wreaths you insisted we needed, and putting up all the colored lights wasn't the slightest bit of work," he grumbled as he helped unload.

"Well, I can do most of the rest. I'll just need your help with the garland and the bows. I want to put those over the porch railing and balcony. It'll be pretty, just you wait," Lorelai grinned excitedly, "Besides, April and Rory both arrive on evening flights, don't you want to welcome them to their new Stars Hollow residence in style?"

Luke allowed a small smile to escape as he thought of their reactions. April had become less obsessive about her atheist-agnostic non-holiday stance after Lorelai had argued that technically, since none of them were religious, their method of celebrating was just for fun, and he knew Rory was definitely her mother's daughter when it came to Christmas kitsch.

Hours later, Luke finally finished organizing and disguising all the necessary electrical cords needed to light or otherwise run Lorelai's outdoor winter paradise. Lorelai beamed proudly from the patio furniture on the porch where she'd been sitting with a mug of coffee and Paul Anka burrowed up next to her.

"Did you see the wreath?" Lorelai asked, handing Luke the mug of tea she'd brought out for him as he sat next to her.

"I hung the damn thing a few days ago, don't you remember?"

"Not the big one on the house, silly, the one on the truck!"

"Please tell me you didn't."

"I so did," she turned her massive smile toward him, "Your truck, the SUV, and my jeep. I put those on before I dragged you out here. Face it, the Danes house is going to be festive. Remember? You can be festive, and you like it when I drag you into it."

"There's festive, and there's excessive," he said, shaking his head slightly.

"Excessive would be also adding the reindeer kit. Which I wanted for the jeep, but the zippered windows don't work with the antlers," Lorelai pouted. "Y'know, I really should buy another strand of colored outdoor lights for the diner."

"The ones you already made me put up are plenty. I almost punched Taylor in his damn smug face the next morning as it was."

"So that's why he gave me a free scoop of that peppermint fudge ice cream," she laughed. "Come on, let's go in and warm up before we have to come back out here again to see the timer kick everything on."

Luke stood and ushered her indoors, not bothering to mention he'd already seen everything on while making sure it all worked.

He'd been hanging up some of the interior decorations before she arrived, and the box containing the stockings sat nearby. He pointed at them, "Uh, there are these really fancy ones in there and your old burned ones. I don't know if you want to hang one set on the mantle on the library and one set out here, or what."

Lorelai wrinkled her nose as she saw the hideous stockings Chris had bought the year before. "Toss those, those were new last year and they're not us. Besides, I bought ones like mine and Rory's for you, April, and Paul Anka." She opened the coat closet, grabbed the plastic bag she'd brought home a few months prior, and handed it to him. "I still need to add your names with glitter glue, but we can hang them up for now, and I'll do that tomorrow."

Luke reached in the bag and held up four newer versions of the stockings that matched Rory and Lorelai's singed ones. "Got an extra here. You replacing one of the old ones?" he asked.

Lorelai grimaced briefly as she grabbed the fourth one, tossing it into one of the newly emptied boxes, "Um, no, Rory and I will keep our old ones... this one was just, um, wishful thinking."

Luke's eyebrows furrowed and he carefully placed the remaining stockings on the coffee table in front of him. He turned toward Lorelai, watching as she busied herself with another box of decorations, clearly intending to move onto something other than the stockings.

"Like... there was something that made you think you might need to grab an extra stocking?" he asked slowly.

"No. I thought, maybe, by Christmas..." she waved her hand dismissively, still not meeting his eyes, "Well, anyway, like I said, just wishful thinking."

"Lorelai," Luke replied softly, sitting on the edge of the arm rest.

"Don't. It's not a big deal," Lorelai reached for the Christmas tree skirt she'd sewn several years ago and finally steeled herself enough to regard Luke. "I'm not worrying about it. I just..." she sighed, fingering the soft fabric in her hands. "I really just figured, at the time, there might be four and a half of us for the holidays. I'm glad it's not, because, I mean, what good is eggnog without booze, anyway? And have you tried Babette's Christmas cocktails? I would probably be drinking less caffeine, you know, and Weston's has that amazing candy cane coffee that I missed last year, and I know you wouldn't have let me help you with the lights on the roof, and we had so much fun doing that and gazing out at the view of the neighborhood."

Eager to put an end to her babbling, Luke stood and wrapped his arms around his wife, pressing a kiss to her temple. "It'll happen."

"I know," Lorelai said, her voice slightly muffled against his shoulder. She took a deep breath, letting herself lean into his embrace a little, "And I'm really okay. I'd forgotten about that extra stocking until just now, and seeing it, I remembered what I was thinking that day, and it... caught me off guard a little."

"You're sure you're okay?" he asked, pulling back to watch her face, knowing it would tell him things her words might downplay.

Lorelai's eyes scanned Luke's concerned face before she met his eyes. She was mostly telling the truth. The fact was, although Sookie had backed off the topic since Lorelai recovered from her sinus infection, the rest of the town hadn't, and the comments had been getting to her a little over the last few days.

Rory was conceived the first and only time she and Chris had decided the excitement of impromptu sex on the balcony was more important than the condoms hidden beneath two pounds of Tootsie Rolls in Lorelai's dresser drawer. She thought it might be just as easy the second time.

Lorelai hadn't been disappointed when, a few weeks after her and Luke's wedding, there were no signs of a wedding night conception, but she'd forgotten how part of her initial honeymoon planning had included many investigations into virgin tropical beverages. Lorelai had told herself it was just in case, but after seeing the stocking again, she realized it had been more of an expectation than she'd wanted to admit.

"I know we agreed to be really open about this, Luke, and I swear I'm trying. I'm not upset, I'm not worried. I know it'll happen sooner or later, but a part of me expected sooner..." she smiled at him reassuringly, "I'm okay. It really was just seeing the stocking that reminded me it's... later."

"Say the word, Lorelai. I'm still fine with seeing what happens, but I told you before, if you're not, we can start to get more serious about this, get a specialist or however that works, more tests, whatever-"

"No," Lorelai said firmly, shaking her head and reaching for his hand and squeezing it, "No. I'm not even ready for that yet." She thought for a moment, trying to sort out how to explain how she was feeling, "It's different on my end, you know? More... wondering if being a day late might mean something, or did I eat that apple because it was there or because it's a sign of something. But I'm fine with what we agreed to. And I swear, if it changes, I'll tell you."

"Okay," Luke breathed, relieved to have more insight into what had been going through her head. He smiled and squeezed her hand back, "You know, we could at least, or, I guess, you could try that chart thing."

"There's a reason I had to switch the lingerie drawer to the bigger one, Luke. You really didn't notice you've been getting seduced several specific nights in a row the last two months?" she asked with a slight smirk. He looked thoughtful for a moment and shook his head with a smirk of his own. "I've kinda been doing the charting thing since our conversation about kids in August, hon. Just keeping track of things. Believe me, there has been ample sex at the right times of the month since the wedding."

"Oh," Luke replied, dumbfounded. "Well, that's smart, I guess."

"I haven't been super crazy with it. I remember Sookie constantly taking her temperature and obsessing over a bunch of other stuff," Lorelai sighed in annoyance at the thought, "I really don't want to deal with that."

"Well, I think keeping up with the... um, y'know, specific days thing is good. And I can ask Liz-"

"No way," Lorelai objected as she realized the tree skirt in her hands was in desperate need of ironing. She walked to the stairs and tossed it on a step to take it upstairs next time she went up, then returned to the living room. "Maybe later I'll see if there's anything else we can do to maybe help, but I'm not sleeping with a fertility crystal or something."

"Fertility crystal?" Luke laughed.

"Or something!" she grinned, moving back to the boxes of decorations. "I know we both blocked out the details TJ was freely sharing the other night, but I think I remember something about a crystal or stone or something hanging above their bed."

She glanced at Luke in time to see him shudder, and giggled as she began unpacking more decorations.

* * *

Lorelai waved as she saw her step-daughter approach the airport's baggage claim area. April squealed and ran to hug her step-mother tightly.

"No Dad?" April asked as they walked to the luggage carousel for April's flight.

"Airport parking's crazy and he refuses to pay for a spot so far away, so he's circling. How was your flight?"

"Not too bad. There was a little kid in the middle seat next to me flying to his dad's for Christmas, so I ended up letting him take the window seat because he was a little nervous. He's ten, his parents just divorced, and it was his first time flying alone," April nodded toward a boy whose face was burrowed into his father's side nearby. "I ended up telling him my life story and he felt a little better about things."

Lorelai nodded and watched the boy and his father interact. She thought back to Rory's childhood, realizing that if Chris has been more involved, that child might have been Rory. While there would have been so many times she would have relished having him more involved and supportive, she was grateful to have maintained a monopoly over holidays during Rory's childhood. She wondered how the boy's mother was coping with him being gone during Christmas for the first time, and her thoughts immediately turned to Anna, who was dealing with the same.

"What's your mom doing for Christmas?" Lorelai asked curiously. Anna hadn't been home the last several times Luke had talked to April, causing all parental-only information to be exchanged via brief emails. With all three adults caught up in their own lives, there hadn't been much time for discourse.

"Working. She's trying to make a lot of sales during the holidays to deplete inventory as fast as possible so she doesn't have to worry about that stuff during the move next year. We're spending spring break out here, too, so she can start getting this side of things ready," April picked at her cuticle nervously, "And, um, I kind of need your help with something during this trip."

"What's that?"

"I have a tour and an interview with Putnam Hall. I promised Mom I'd talk to Dad about it in advance, and I completely forgot."

Lorelai chuckled, "Forgot? Something that big?"

"By forgot I mean... kept putting it off, and ran out of time. I tend to do that sometimes, kinda like telling Mom about finding Dad," April smiled guiltily. "But I recently found out I'm eligible for a scholarship, so if he really doesn't like this and doesn't want to pay, I can probably arrange for it to cover his portion, and-"

"April, if you want this, you know the money's not going to be an issue," Lorelai reassured her. She smiled at April's dubious expression. "He's more bark than bite, you know that."

"True," April replied thoughtfully. "You should come too."

"Mmm, we'll see," Lorelai hedged. She recalled the majority of her teachers in high school being relatively old and couldn't fathom they'd still be there. Still, if anyone involved in the faculty recalled her, it wouldn't do April any good. "Might be more fun for you and your dad to explore it with a fresh set of eyes and unsullied opinions."

April shrugged, reaching for her bag as it moved in front of them on the baggage claim, and pointed to a similar, larger bag, "That one too."

As the two of them used their combined strength to drag it off the conveyor, Lorelai groaned, "Geez, April, how long you staying again?"

"I'm leaving some of it here. Less to pack next year, and this way I can work on my room a little more," April grinned as they walked to the pick-up area outside.

Luke pulled up in the SUV, grumbling as he loaded April's luggage into to the back, "If this is all books..."

"No," April laughed as they settled in for the drive home. "Mom made me leave the one with the books; said she wasn't paying for two overweight bags. I tried, though."

Talk of Anna and April's moving preparations continued as they drove. When they pulled up in front of the colorful, brightly lit house, April burst into laughter and immediately began taking pictures.

"Don't send any photos to Rory, it's a surprise!" Lorelai called as she followed Luke indoors.

Later, after Lorelai returned to the inn, Luke helped April unpack and decorate her room while she slowly tried to direct conversation toward school. Luke watched her carefully, noticing her tendency toward nervous chatter when avoiding something... not unlike her step-mother.

"April," Luke said firmly as he held back the swim trophy she'd reached for. "What's up?"

"Have mom or Lorelai, um, mention anything about school next year?"

"No. The last time school came up was at the wedding, and you said you were looking at private schools," Luke frowned, watching April sit on her bed with a heavy sigh. "Did you pick one, or something?" he asked.

"Uh, I have... some ideas."

"Really?"

Luke sat across from her on the bed and handed her the trophy, watching as she nervously rubbed the bottom of her shirt over the nameplate, removing a few smudges.

"I know this isn't really your thing, and I don't mean to spring this on you, but I have an invitation for a tour and interview with one. And it's kind of a big one. My first choice, actually. And, again, I know it's not your thing, and you'd probably prefer I'd stick with public school, but-"

Luke frowned, shaking his head, "For me, public school was right. You're a lot different. I hated school and never would've survived something like that. When is it?"

"The day after Christmas."

"Is it so fancy that they don't even have winter breaks?"

April laughed, "No, I explained my situation and there are a few faculty members coming in. I won't get to see the school in session, but I took it as a really good sign that they were willing to come in anyway."

"I'd say so," Luke nodded. He watched April nervously tracing the outline of the trophy in her hands and knew there was still something more she wasn't saying. After a few moments of silence, he cleared his throat and gave her a knowing look when she glanced up at him.

"Putnam Hall is the school." She waited for a reaction, but he either didn't recognize the name, or had never actually heard it. "It's private, but it has an amazing science program, but they also have a swim team."

He nodded, liking what he was hearing so far, "Sounds like a good fit."

"Yeah, I think so too," April giggled nervously, "Uh, well. So. Funny enough, it's actually where Lorelai went."

"Really," Luke replied, biting back the groan he wanted to release. Given the stories he'd heard from Lorelai and her parents, he'd developed a strong distaste for her high school. He saw it filled with self-absorbed, overprivileged rich kids, the kind that created adults like Christopher - perpetual children with no concept of reality or responsibility. "April, have you, uh, mentioned this to Lorelai?"

"Oh, yeah. She said I should form my own opinion, though, since her experience was a little unique."

Relieved by her admission, April stood and returned to the step stool they'd gotten out. She set her trophy on one of her shelves, then glanced down to watch her dad for a moment, sighing inwardly as she noticed the weary expression on his face. He remained silent, not a rare choice for him, but it was often an indicator of parental disapproval.

She stepped down and put her hands on her hips as she stood in front of him.

"Unique as in 'belonging to or connected with only one particular thing, place, or person', synonymous with unusual?" April said, pausing while she waited for him to look up at her. "Or in more common terms, I'm not going to let some snotty teenage boy knock me up."

"April!" Luke groaned, dropping his face into his hands.

"Mom and I already have plenty of plans for when I'm actually dating. Besides, I've done a ton of research on hormonal birth control, and-"

"April!" he shouted, jumping up and completely turning away from her as his face turned red with a combination of fury and mortification, "I don't think I want to hear about this!"

"Well, you should," she frowned, crossing her arms in front of her, "I mean, these are conversations that are important to have with your kids, you know. I need you to understand that school's my main priority, sex isn't, and if it becomes more important to me before I graduate, I already plan to be exceptionally careful."

When he didn't turn around or speak, April sighed. "Dad, can I show you some of the literature from the school? It doesn't have statistics about teen pregnancies, but I think you might find the acceptance rate into high ranking universities rather impressive. Mom even talked to the head of the science department on the phone, they have a two-week intensive at MIT, and-"

"April, stop," Luke took a deep breath as he turned to face his daughter, "I wasn't saying no. I just have concerns."

"The past doesn't dictate the present, you know," she said, looking him in the eye. "If it did, you'd be the step-grandfather to Rory's seven year old kid."

He shook his head. His concerns weren't nearly that simple. He'd seen what Lorelai had gone through with Rory's over-exposure to the world of Emily and Richard. He still vividly remembered what had happened after the night Liz and TJ had intruded and ruined their date.

He'd called Lorelai later that evening to apologize for his insane family one more time, and ask how she'd enjoyed the cheesecake he made. He'd noticed she sounded a little down, and far less enthusiastic about the dessert than she'd normally be; after a fair amount of prodding, she told him about Rory coming home in a limo, bejeweled and drunk. She never said another word about it after that, but Lorelai could rarely hide the worry that crossed her face the deeper Rory got involved with Logan, immersing herself further into the world her mother had sought to protect her from so many years ago.

To be fair, his conscience reminded him, she was at Yale by then. And he couldn't recall Rory getting too heavily involved in such things when she was in high school. Even the boys she dated had been from Stars Hollow. Not that _that_ was any consolation.

"It's not just that, April," Luke waved his hand dismissively, "I'll see if Lorelai can take a few hours off that afternoon and we can go."

"She seemed a little disinterested when I mentioned it earlier. Wants us to see it without her own opinions getting in the way," April shrugged. "I'd like her to go, but you may want to check on your ingredients for pie first. Maybe have coffee waiting when she gets home? See if Aunt Liz has some jewelry she wouldn't mind pawning off on you?"

Luke smirked at April's list of ways to butter up Lorelai. She likely _wouldn't_ be thrilled with the idea of revisiting her past, he knew. He really would like Lorelai to go along with them. If April got in and decided to go there, Lorelai would be going with him to parent nights and swim meets, anyway. But most importantly, at this point, he'd rely on her ability to talk to people out of his league so he didn't embarrass his daughter by only picking up on half the things they talked about. Such social situations were far more palatable when he could shadow Lorelai.

"We'll talk about it. Either way, we should definitely check this place out," Luke took a cleansing breath and attempted to change the mood, "You said you had a brochure or something?"

* * *

"Mom!" Rory yelled as she caught sight of her mother waiting in the airport's baggage claim. The two bolted toward each other and held on tight. Passersby, certain the two hadn't seen each other in years, smiled at them, proud to be witness to such an important moment.

"It's been so long!" Lorelai said as she released her daughter, "Two long months."

"It has been two long months. Now let's go, because during that length of time, I got a whole new house I still haven't seen," Rory urged, looking around. "No Luke, no April? My new family really knows how to welcome me home."

"Tonight's the one night April was able to arrange a pre-Christmas dinner with her mom's cousin and the people she and Anna used to get together with before she moved," Lorelai explained. "She wanted to introduce her dad, who tried very hard to get me to go, but it's in Woodbridge and you're here, and it's the one time I've been able to pick you up from the airport instead of being upstaged by your fancy chauffeur."

"Ohh," Rory nodded, recalling April talking about them over the summer, "I'm happy for her, I know she missed them last year. Especially the infamous Uncle Rex who covertly assisted with the DNA project."

"Right. April was a little upset when she realized the timing conflicted with your flight, and Luke's not much for social engagements, so you know he'd rather be here. I, however, am perfectly content not having to share you for a bit."

Rory smiled and looped her arm through her mother's as they walked toward the parking lot. Soon, the luggage was loaded into the jeep and they were on their way. As they drove through their half Stars Hollow, half Beacon Falls neighborhood, Rory's eyes widened at the amount of lights and decorations covering each of the houses, laughing as she saw the new house fully decked as well.

"Luke still says our place is overly outrageous compared to the neighbors' houses," Lorelai scoffed as she unloaded Rory's luggage.

"Uh, did he miss the penguin rollercoaster on that first house on the corner?!"

"Apparently! Taking all that down is way too much of pain. I think ours looks perfectly decorated."

"And you did a really nice job hiding all the electrical cords," Rory observed as they walked up the candy cane lit sidewalk.

"Mention that again, with a little more awe in your tone when Luke gets home tonight for me, will you? He spent more time on that than anything else, and makes sure to mention the fact every time someone compliments the house," Lorelai rolled her eyes.

Rory headed straight upstairs, more eager to see her room than the indoor Christmas decor, and gasped when she opened her bedroom door, her mother right behind her.

Her Yale diploma and a few of her travel posters were neatly framed and hung. On her old nightstand was a framed photo from sixteenth birthday. Her desk was there, though it looked like it had been refinished - Luke's work, no doubt. An extra charger for her laptop was already waiting there for her, along with a few books.

She walked over and sat on her new bed, looking around the room at the other small touches before her gaze landed on a new dresser upon which sat a few more photos. She walked over to get a closer look.

One was from the wedding, during the surprise mother/daughter dance, another was of her and Lane as little kids, sitting on the steps of the gazebo. One of the silly graduation frames she'd gotten as a gift in June held a photo of her and Paris in their caps and gowns; Lucy had taken it, she remembered, and it was one of the few moments she'd let herself relax and enjoy the afternoon, banishing all thoughts of her uncertain future and Logan's proposal. Next was a photo of the Danes-Gilmore-Nardini family from the wedding. The last frame was her with her grandparents, also from her Yale graduation.

Rory dropped her hand onto her chest as she turned toward her mother who was silently watching her from the doorway.

"This is... I don't even know... this isn't at all what I was expecting."

Lorelai smiled warmly and walked in, sitting on Rory's bed as she looked around. "Luke went back and ordered the dresser that day we ordered the beds. April got one too. After we started working on moving things in here, we noticed GG had wreaked havoc on your desk. I came home from work the next day to find the garage reeking of paint stripper. He sanded it down, got rid of all the stains, and refinished it."

"I figured as much," Rory replied, opening one of the dresser drawers to find her clothes neatly folded. "Mom, I don't think I ever want to leave, this is so amazing."

"Ah, well, mission accomplished," Lorelai stood. "I know you've been struggling with the concept of home, and I know you said you'd never be here long-term, but... I want to make sure you know you always have a home here, and I did as much as I could to make it feel that way."

"You definitely succeeded," Rory nodded walking to embrace her mom tightly. "Thank you so much. Of course," she continued as she released her and dropped back onto the bed, "I now have very little reason to be in the rest of the house."

"Ohhh, yes you do," Lorelai reached down to tug Rory's hands, "Come on, you have to see the rest of Luke's handiwork. For someone who put up such a fight about the house's exterior, he is super anal about his indoor Christmas decorations."

* * *

Lorelai and Rory sat in their chairs, watching gleefully as April indulged in her first candy cane coffee at Weston's.

"And?" Rory urged expectantly as April set her mug down.

"And... it's good. Better than I was expecting. It's not too pepperminty, but still sweet enough that you don't need to add sugar to the coffee," April paused, letting the taste settle, "I like it."

Lorelai nodded proudly, happy to have April join in such an important tradition.

"So, Rory, you have to come with us for my Putnam Hall tour," April said, changing the subject.

Rory raised her eyebrows and looked at her mother, "You going?"

"I've been guilted into it, but yes," Lorelai replied with a sigh. Luke had practically begged her not to leave him alone, and as he so rarely asked for anything, she couldn't tell him no. "Hey, Rory, did the ol' P.H. ever make it onto your list of potential schools?"

"Nah," Rory shook her head, "I didn't think you'd go for it, and Chilton had the better literature department and school newspaper, so it was my first choice all along. What would you have done if I had dreams of attending your old school?"

"Sucked it up," Lorelai shrugged. "I probably would've tried to talk you out of it, though. One of my teachers would've sent you to the principal's office on your name alone, and that's assuming he didn't figure out who your dad was."

"Just because you had a kid?" April scoffed.

"Uh, there may have been a few disruptive offenses prior to that. Let's just say having Rory was probably the least of the things they took umbrage with. I won't go into details lest your father decide I'm attempting to give you ideas."

"These stories are best told by my grandparents, anyway," Rory winked at her step-sister.

"Mean. You know what happens when your grandmother gets into 'Bag on Lorelai' mode."

"What happens?" April asked curiously, grinning as Lorelai took a long gulp of coffee while shaking her head.

"Grandma's storytelling grows more and more dramatic with every passing moment, and she starts yelling at Mom like it just happened yesterday."

"She reminds me I am an embarrassment to the family, a mark on an otherwise clean record of scholastic achievement," Lorelai rolled her eyes. "And of course, my daughter never takes my side, she sits there and enjoys the show."

"Not true, sometimes I just wait until she's done to remind her that it all worked out in the end."

"Sometimes? Try rarely. Thankfully, I don't have to sit through any of it anymore," Lorelai smiled smugly as Rory cocked her head. "It _really_ upsets Luke, and last time it happened, he nearly yelled at my mother and we left early."

April smiled proudly, "Doesn't surprise me. Dad's pretty overprotective like that."

"Overprotective... whatever you do, don't date anyone local who might want to stop by Luke's if you break up," Rory muttered.

"Ugh, at this point, I'm pretty sure I'm not mentioning _any_ boys to Dad from here on out. It's never gone well for me," April sighed helplessly. "Not that Mom's any better, but he's... so weird about it."

Lorelai smirked as April talked about a boy from her school she'd been hanging out with, the famous Jamie from the summer long forgotten. Luke had spent a good twenty minutes venting about Aaron already; Lorelai was pretty sure he hadn't gotten nearly enough details to match the number of presumptive leaps he'd made about the boy.

The women got their second cups of candy cane coffee to go, and headed to the car to drive home. As Luke was slightly understaffed due to the holidays and closing the diner that night, Lorelai planned an evening of takeout with their daughters for dinner. As she drove the SUV toward the house, she saw Rory smile into her glowing screen for what seemed to be the millionth time since she'd arrived the day before.

When she saw the phone come out during a Christmas movie and Chinese food, Lorelai paused the movie, staring at Rory until she noticed.

"I was watching!" Rory objected, eyes still focused on her phone's screen.

April glanced over at Rory and pointed at the phone, "You've been on that thing non-stop."

"Yeah," Lorelai frowned, crossing her arms in front of her chest, "What gives?"

Rory sighed, finishing her snarky reply and hit send. She held up her phone making it clear she was turning the device off, and dropped it onto the coffee table.

"I pestered Miles about his family Christmas plans, so I wound up with a play by play, and some of it is mock-worthy. Like the sorry excuse for a gingerbread house he's building for a competition among his sister and a few cousins," Rory held up her hands defensively, "Hit play, I didn't realize I was disrupting the movie."

Lorelai bit back the teasing comment that had been on the tip of her tongue as Rory divulged the recipient of her endless texts, and simply nodded and hit the play button. Luke arrived a short while later, pie in hand to make up for his unexpectedly late arrival, and joined the rest of them in the living room for the end of the movie.

In typical Luke fashion, his focus was less on the movie in front of him, and more on the people around him. Lorelai was snuggled against his side, Rory laid her head against the arm rest on the opposite side of the couch, while April sat in one of the chairs, her head on one of the chair's arms, legs draped over the other. Paul Anka, annoyed to find Luke had stolen his spot, had moved to the new dog bed Lorelai had bought for the living room, turning his back to the humans in protest.

Luke decided Paul Anka had the right idea. While he could handle some Christmas movies, Home Alone was far from palatable, an unpopular opinion among the members of his family.

As the credits rolled, he grumbled, "It's still dumb. I don't care how many kids you have, you're gonna notice your child missing long before you get on a damn plane."

His observation was met with a three-toned groan, and Lorelai sat up to hit him with a pillow, "You pick the next one then, Mr. Picky." She looked at April and Rory, "He also expressed disdain for The Santa Clause, _and_ fell asleep during White Christmas."

"The Santa Clause was stupid, and I'd just spent the _entire day_ at the diner when you insisted we watch White Christmas," Luke argued. "I liked 'It's A Wonderful Life'. And that newer one with all the different people who are all connected, the British one."

April gaped at her father, "Love Actually? _You_ liked that?!"

"Luke..." Rory stared, speechless.

"I liked the stories," Luke muttered, "And yes, I realize, it's a girl movie. I don't care. And if my manliness is in question, I suggest Die Hard for the next one."

"Oh god," Rory groaned, "We had this discussion last week on the bus. That does _not_ count as a Christmas movie. It's a genre, not a theme. Die Hard is an action movie. Doesn't count." She stood and reached for her phone, "And anyway, I'm beat. Whatever you do, don't watch A Charlie Brown Christmas, or A Christmas Story without me."

"Christmas Eve traditions, no worries," Lorelai replied as Rory left to head upstairs. "You got another suggestion, manly man?"

"Not really. It doesn't really matter what we watch, I'm stuck watchin' it."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "April? Thoughts?"

"I was going to say the good old original Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, but I think Rory might be onto something. I was up early to help Dad open the diner, and I didn't get a nap in over lunch like he did," April yawned as she stood. "So just add that to the list of movies to hold off on."

"Noted. Night, April."

April waved tiredly and summoned Paul Anka to join her as she left.

"You're not gonna bail next, are you?" Lorelai eyed Luke.

"No, I promised you two movies tonight," he gestured to the TV, "Pick."

Lorelai looked closely at his face, "No, forget it, you'll fall asleep before we finish." She pointed at him, "You have sleepy eyes. You won't last twenty minutes."

"Who cares, it's not like I haven't seen all of these. I know how they end."

"Ugh," Lorelai shook her head, moving off the couch to put the Home Alone DVD away, and start shutting off lights, "That is so not the point of Christmas movies. They're _festive_."

"Again with _festive_. If I get any more _festive_ , I'll have mistletoe growing out my ears," he grumbled, following her upstairs.

"Now _that_ I would like to see," Lorelai grinned.

After crawling into bed, Lorelai sighed, "Still need a TV up here. We could at least nod off to some terrible Lifetime Christmas special."

Luke rolled his eyes as he pulled on his t-shirt and walked toward the bed, "I don't think I've ever watched one, but Kirk said he and Lulu have been watching them non-stop. That's all the information I need to avoid 'em."

Lorelai laughed, and reached over to turn off the lamp on her nightstand only to realize Luke's was still on, indicating he wasn't going to sleep just yet. She rolled over on her side to face him, noticing he had the Putnam Hall brochure out again. She wrinkled her nose. He should have the thing memorized by now given the amount of times she'd seen him looking at it.

Eager to distract him, Lorelai decided to bring something up that had been on her mind, "Hey, Luke? What did you do for Christmas last year?"

"Uh, not much. There was that stuff going on with April and Anna, so... aside from Liz guilting me into Christmas Eve at her place, I just kinda tried to ignore it," Luke stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before turning his head to face her, a wry grin on his face, "Wasn't too successful with that, and it really sucked since my last two Christmases were with you."

Lorelai nodded, "Yeah... I think it worked out really well that Rory was gone. I played up the whole 'I refuse to celebrate Christmas until she's back' thing, which helped me deal with it a little better. And then I outright pretended Christmas wasn't happening all around me. If you thought my powers of denial were good before," she huffed, " _That_ was my magnum opus."

"Only thing to be in denial about this year is tomorrow night," Luke yawned, stretching and reaching over to turn his bedside light off, "I was really hoping we'd be exempt from the Two Weeks Early Gilmore Christmas Celebration when it was canceled two weeks ago."

"How was I supposed to know she'd schedule a smaller soirée for just the family on Christmas Eve?" Lorelai grumbled, reaching to turn her light off as well. She readjusted, snuggling up next to Luke, "At least this year you don't completely hate Scotch, so it's a quick ride into happy land if you chug a few glasses right when we arrive."

* * *

"I thought this was just going to be family," Lorelai paused next to her mother as she watched the backs of her husband, daughter, and step-daughter ahead of her.

"It _was_ , and a few of your father's business associates happened to be stranded because of the storm farther west."

"A few?! There are fifty people here."

"Lorelai," Emily sighed, "Four business associates, their spouses, that's eight. And since some of the people from the Hartford office wanted to make sure it wasn't your father and I stuck entertaining them alone, we invited a few others, and a few contacts your father is hoping to make. Your step-daughter is fourteen years old and behaving better than you are," she motioned to April introducing herself to one of the women in the other room, Luke hovering behind her.

Lorelai glanced over at Rory, hugging a woman Lorelai didn't recognize, and was soon introduced as a friend Rory had made during her time in the DAR. A few introductions and plenty of small talk later, Lorelai wondered if anyone would even notice if she sneaked out to hide in the car until dinner.

"I've been a huge fan of your daughter's writing, I had no idea she was Emily and Richard's granddaughter," one of the women who Lorelai ought to have remembered from her childhood said, smiling.

"We're very proud of her," Lorelai smiled back, watching Rory and April in deep discussion with a few of the guests. She shook her head disbelievingly, and wondered where Luke managed to hide.

"They get along surprisingly well for sisters, especially with the age gap," the woman gestured to the pair, "My sister and I had a ten year age difference and never quite saw eye to eye."

"Ah, well, they are step-sisters, and with Rory on the road and April spending most of her time with her mother, that may have something to do with it. I imagine it's a little different when you grow up with someone. Sibling rivalry and all."

The woman nodded agreeably as Emily approached, handing Lorelai a drink.

"You should give Hébert a call and get a head start on April's debutante gown, Emily, you know he books up quickly these days."

Lorelai nearly choked on her drink, earning her a glare from her mother.

"Thank you so much for the suggestion," Lorelai replied, recovering slightly, "You should mention that to her father when you see him," she bit back a grin and turned to her mother.

The nameless guest took the cue to move onto a new group of people and Emily frowned at her daughter, "You don't need to mock it, Lorelai. April might enjoy such a thing."

"Doubtful, but like I told... Sissy Hurdygurdy, you're welcome to talk to Luke about it."

"Sissy who? That was Evelyn Schuster, I introduced you not ten minutes ago."

"Ah, right, sorry. They look so similar," Lorelai took a long sip of her martini as Emily continued venting about her lacking attention span. She tuned her mother out, frowning as she noticed her father speaking to Floyd Stiles. It was hardly surprising, he did own her father's company, but she hadn't seen the man since the awkward encounter with Jason years ago.

"Lorelai, did you hear anything I just said?" Emily's frown deepened.

"I didn't, sorry, what did you say?"

Emily sighed heavily, "I asked how things have been, settling into the house and embarking on your second month of marriage. We haven't seen you in a few weeks, and I'm hoping you weren't deliberately avoiding that question."

"No, mother. Things are great. The house is great. It's all great," Lorelai answered, and seeing the look on her mother's face, decided to elaborate somewhat, "I finished Rory's room just before she arrived, and April's is surprisingly put together for someone who doesn't even live in the same state."

"Good," Emily nodded, "And when will you finish the rest of the house?"

"It's done, I emailed you pictures of everything. I mean, we're still slowly working on the office, but there's no rush there until Luke has time to focus more on the cafe and we move the rest of his office stuff out of the apartment. You can stop by if you don't believe me."

"And the fourth bedroom?" Emily asked pointedly.

With that, Lorelai tipped the rest of her martini into her mouth, realizing she'd likely need several more drinks to get her through the night than she'd originally thought. She spotted Luke laughing warmly as Rory drew him into her conversation with yet another person Lorelai didn't recognize. She decided her best course of action was to flee the conversation before it could begin.

She tapped the side of her glass, indicating its need to be refilled, and took a step toward the drink cart only to be stopped by her mother's hand on her arm.

"Lorelai, I just don't want you to think you have all the time in the world if that's what you want. You're not as young anymore, and-"

Gritting her teeth, Lorelai focused on gently setting the empty martini glass on a nearby table to prevent herself from throwing it against the wall. For someone so obsessive about appropriate behavior, there were times Emily Gilmore seemed exceptionally skilled at inappropriate conversation. The first discussion on the topic had been with Christopher in front of a wedding planner. And now...

"Mom, we're not talking about this."

"Well, you'd mentioned after you got married-"

"Not talking about it means not talking about, and certainly not here, and especially not tonight. And if I can help it, not ever." Jaw set, Lorelai lifted her martini glass off the table and headed for the drink cart. She was relieved to find a pitcher of gin martinis already made and, after quickly tossing in a lemon twist, lifted one of the carefully arranged beers from the austere, urn-looking ice buckets. After removing the lid, she quickly headed toward her husband.

Luke glanced over to see Lorelai walking his way with a bottle of beer in her hand and immediately abandoned the "festive" brandy he'd been sipping. The brief moment of joy he felt over trading the thick, strong liquor for his adult beverage of choice disappeared upon seeing the anger present on Lorelai's face. Given how calm the majority of their interactions with the Gilmores had been over the last several months, it came as a surprise.

"Hey, thought you might want something you actually like," Lorelai forced a smile as she slid the bottle into his hand.

"Uh, thanks. What's... did something happen?"

"Nothing new. Just my mother sticking her nose where it's not wanted."

"About?"

Lorelai shook her head, "I'll tell you later. Where'd the girls run off to?"

"Heard something about apple tarts and knowing where the tupperware is," Luke chuckled. "Your daughter, not mine."

"She didn't go alone," Lorelai smirked at him, poking him as she did so, "I never have given you a full tour of this place, have I?" Luke shook his head and she grabbed his free hand with hers, "Follow me."

She led him upstairs, showing him far more rooms than two people who lived alone in a house had any reason for, and saved her room for last, pausing before she opened the door, "Prepare yourself. Nothing has changed since I was sixteen."

Every time she walked into her old bedroom, Lorelai could feel the cloying inadequacies of her youth. It was a twisted play on Goldilocks: never enough or far too much, but never just right - even when it came to producing grandchildren, apparently. "The dollhouse used to sit over there," she gestured.

Lorelai watched Luke as he looked around slowly, taking in every inch, as if imagining it would piece together a picture of the girl who used to live there, the predecessor to the woman he'd come to know so well.

"Rory didn't sleep in here as a baby?"

"She did," Lorelai replied. "I never really asked what happened to her crib." She bit her lip as she glanced at the spot where it used to sit, "Probably better that way."

Luke continued to inspect the room, a confused expression crossing his face as he spoke, "Wasn't your mother supposedly renovating this room, and that's why your dad dropped off the dollhouse last year?"

"Yeah," Lorelai huffed, "Funny, huh? Only thing missing from the room since the last time I was in here is the damn dollhouse."

"She'll do just about anything to get your attention, I guess." Luke mused, thinking of every time he'd seen Emily stick her neck out to reach out to her daughter over the years. Now, with a teenager daughter of his own, he had a bit more understanding of what might have been going through both Lorelai _and_ Emily's heads back then.

Before Lorelai could ask what he meant, the door opened.

"What are _you_ _two_ doing?" Rory inquired as she stuck her head in the door.

Lorelai raised an eyebrow at her daughter as she turned one of the dolls sitting in a nearby chair upside down, "What do you _think_ we're doing?"

"Hiding from Grandma by the looks of things."

"Please. I'm giving Luke a tour," she walked over to move one of the decorative pillows on the bed forty-five degrees, "What are _you_ doing?"

"Restroom. The one downstairs had a few people waiting," Rory glanced at her mom and Luke one last time before turning around. Recalling her recent discovery about the last time her mother hid in there with a man, she added, "I'm leaving this door open. I'll see you downstairs."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and turned to find Luke holding up a smaller doll, one that actually was used with the dollhouse. "Whatever happened to that big dollhouse anyway?" he asked. "I thought you were going to keep it around and decorate it along with the house for the holidays?"

"Ah, well, Jackson broke it and Sookie was gonna get it fixed, but I'm pretty sure she never did since she never brought it back. It looked irreparable anyway. I heard the people at Webster's Dictionary used a photo of it for the definition of 'smithereens', as in 'smashed to'."

Luke frowned, recalling how much she'd loved the thing. He'd thought about their own daughter playing with it at some point, and had taken extra care when moving it into Lorelai's house. "I could take a look at it."

Lorelai shrugged, "I can ask Sookie about it, but I hadn't really thought about it until recently when I found the Christmas decorations I bought for it. She may have just tossed it." She walked over to the window and stared out at the balcony for a few moments, watching Luke's reflection in the glass as he joined her.

"Ever sneak out?" he asked curiously.

"You're seriously asking me that question? It was only a few years ago I escaped from it for the last time. My mother tried to set me up on a double date."

Luke chuckled and squeezed her shoulder. She eyed the balcony and thought of the last time she'd used it for something other than an escape route... and the time before that, when a young, drunken evening with Chris had resulted in Rory. She wondered if a barely tipsy evening with Luke might be as equally productive. Luke likely wouldn't go for it, especially if he had the slightest inkling who else had been out there with her. Before she could so much as propose the idea, she felt her mother's presence and began to turn as Emily spoke.

"Lorelai, if you miss your bedroom so much, you're welcome to move back in. I'm not sure why every party results in you escaping up here."

"Every party, Mom?" Lorelai snorted as she turned around, "I'm pretty sure Rory's sixteenth birthday party was the last one, and she was hiding up here, not me, because she was surrounded by a bunch of kids from her school she couldn't stand."

Emily rolled her eyes, "Last Christmas, your husb- things were a little strained and you were hiding on the floor behind your bed."

"I didn't even want to be here," Lorelai replied, her eyes glued to the floor, "I came because Chris wanted to, and you-" she closed her eyes and waved her hand dismissively, "Anyway, it doesn't matter, we'll be down in a few minutes."

Emily clenched her jaw. She knew she'd done nothing but tread in unwanted territory all night long, and as intentional as it had been earlier, she hadn't meant for it to carry over into her first Christmas Eve with her daughter and her family. She waited until Lorelai looked back up, and sighed when she saw the impatient look on her daughter's face. She spared a quick glance at Luke who was awkwardly staring at a shelf of dolls, as if such a thing would be of great interest to him.

"I came up here to tell you that your father's business associates are leaving," Emily broke the awkward silence, "I'd like to at least give the four of you your Christmas presents before you leave." She slipped out the door and closed it behind her before Lorelai could reply.

"Okay, what's going on with you two?" Luke asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he stared at the back of his wife's head.

Lorelai sighed heavily and sat on the bed, turning to face him. "She was asking about her future grandchildren. Real subtle at first, asking how the house was, and if the fourth bedroom was furnished yet."

Luke's eyes widened, "No. In the middle of the party?!"

"Oh yeah."

"I get prying after a few years, but we've only been married a few months, that's hardly long enough to be demanding news about grandkids. How does she even know-"

"Every time the woman corners me, she makes me talk," Lorelai raised her hands in exasperation, "First with you moving in over the summer, and then I mentioned us still wanting a kid or two together after we bought the car. I shouldn't have said anything."

"Probably not, you know how your mother is," Luke tugged her hands, "Let's get downstairs, I know Rory and April were excited over that old book they found for your dad at Mrs. Kim's."

* * *

An hour later, Emily rubbed her hand over the vintage Chanel wallet she'd received. As much as she loved the item, it was the framed photos she'd received that meant the most. One of Lorelai and Rory from the wedding, as well as one of herself, Richard, Luke, Lorelai, Rory and April. Unfortunately, the warm feeling she'd had upon seeing the photos was quickly replaced by the recent memories of her conversation with Lorelai.

"It's lovely," Richard observed as he returned from placing his latest first edition book in his study. "Both gifts must have cost a small fortune."

"Mmm," Emily hummed distractedly. "I think she's worried about having a child with Luke."

"Worried?"

"She wants one. They both do. It's early, but I can tell she's worried about it, and I was trying to get her to talk abou-"

Richard raised his eyebrows. Even with as much talking as his wife and daughter were doing lately, that particular subject seemed a little taboo. It explained why Lorelai had been so detached and quiet while they opened presents over coffee. "Did you truly think she would talk to you about this, at a dinner party of all places?"

"It wasn't like I invited the entire party to our conversation."

"Even so. Had it been at a Friday night dinner, with only her in attendance, I still don't believe she would have allowed that conversation to happen," Richard sat back against the settee with a glass of seltzer in one hand and looked at his wife expectantly, "Emily, you must know that no matter how close you and Lorelai have gotten, there are still a great many things she would likely not discuss with anyone, least of all us."

Emily crossed her arms stubbornly and glared at him with a look that bordered on pouting. "I just thought she might want to hear that it's not unheard of, and prepare her because of what happened with Hope and her husband. She and Hope are so similar... Luke isn't anything like Jack, but that kind of thing is difficult for the best of couples. And it's not like she has all the time in the world. Lorelai can be so impatient about the silliest things, but abysmal at pursuing things that matter."

"I'm not certain that's true in every case, and I think Luke and Lorelai have been through enough that they wouldn't let this come between them. I was always glad we never had to worry about that," Richard mused.

"Maybe for five minutes," she chuckled in response. They'd put off having a child the first year of their marriage, much to Trix's disappointment, while they devoted much of their free time to traveling. Later, as Richard's job began to take up more of his time, they'd also realized they were tired of exploring the world at such breakneck speeds. Lorelai had been conceived mere days after they decided to set aside their busy traveling schedule in favor of starting a family.

"Do you ever think we should have had a second child?" Richard asked his wife, curiously.

"Only after she left with Rory," Emily replied. "For about a year, I regretted it. But overall, no. One was enough for me, especially after she learned how to talk. With our luck, we'd have had two precocious children."

He laughed and nodded in agreement. Though it would have been a nice distraction to have another child to focus on after Lorelai and Rory left, overall, he knew Emily had her hands full with one. Furthermore, considering the costs of a private education for two children made his head hurt.

"Well," he stood to finalize his bill with the caterers they'd hired, "Whatever you do, Emily, don't push Lorelai on this particular subject. If she wants to talk to you about it, she will. Otherwise, I think it's best left between her and Luke."

"That's what worries me," Emily frowned, staring at the family photo she'd placed on the table next to her.

* * *

Lorelai changed into her Christmas-themed pajamas and walked toward the rarely used door toward the back of the second floor. Luke had hidden the wrapped presents in the attic, not trusting her around them for even a second. He'd also absconded with the key to the attic sometime around Thanksgiving, and she'd been regularly checking the handle to see if it was unlocked, eager to see if his alleged improvements in gift giving had been permanent. She was excited to find the door unlocked just before they'd left for her parents' house.

The last time she'd been in the attic had been shortly after they'd moved in, to store a few things they'd chosen not to use in the new house. She glanced around, finding the barely lit area slightly creepy. Seeing the pile of wrapped gifts not far from the doorway, she reached down to pick one up when her eye caught something leaning against the wall. She walked over to investigate.

"My grandfather looked positively heartbroken to hear you talking about MIT over Yale," Rory said to April as they tossed their pillows and blankets on the floor of the living room. Lorelai had a Christmas Eve plan, and no one was going to get in the way. All of them - even Luke - had Christmas pajamas, and a plan to watch one of the five movies Lorelai had left on the coffee table - assuming they were able to narrow it down.

"I know, I felt bad. Yale's still a consideration, but there's a lot to be said for MIT as well. And Harvard. And Stanford, even though California is a little far. I'd like to stick with the east coast, I think, but I'd be stupid not to consider it." She stood to turn on the Christmas tree lights and a few other decorations before turning off the room's main source of illumination, "Ah, ambience. I don't know what I was thinking with the anti-Christmas mentality the last two years."

"Being a teenager," Rory smirked, "It's good to explore. I think some of the biggest distractions in college were because I didn't do that enough as a teenager. You know, Lane was a cheerleader at one point."

"Lane?!" April laughed, "She's never told me that!"

"Where's Lorelai?" Luke asked, carefully transporting four full mugs from the kitchen to the living room.

"She said it wasn't officially Christmas Eve unless the presents were around the tree," Rory shrugged, "So wherever the presents are, there goeth my mother."

April and Rory exchanged a confused look at Luke's panic face as he carefully slid the mugs onto the coffee table and sprinted upstairs.

"Lorelai," Luke said in a strained voice as his eyes adjusted to the dark attic. He didn't need his eyesight to know what Lorelai was looking at as the the pile of Christmas presents sat untouched.

She turned, and he was relieved to see a confused look on her face instead of the sad expression she'd had a few days ago when they'd rediscovered the extra stocking.

"When, and... how?" she asked.

"I kept thinking about it when we drove home that night we saw it, and the more I thought about it... well, I made up a story about the delivery date for Rory and April's beds being wrong, and then ended up buying the dressers in case you noticed the price had changed when you saw the balance of the checking account."

Lorelai shook her head, impressed by his subterfuge, and turned back toward the wooden headboard of the crib Luke had been gazing at back at the furniture store in October.

"What if it doesn't happen?" Lorelai asked quietly, dropping her hand from the carved swirls in the wood.

"I think I asked you that same question when we were first talking about moving in here," Luke replied, stepping toward her.

"That was different, an extra room isn't the same thing as buying furnishings for it."

Noticing he was a few inches away, she looked up at him.

"Like you said, wishful thinking," he answered.

Lorelai laughed softly, stepping back into Luke's embrace as he wrapped his arms around her from behind, leaning his head on her shoulder. She rested her hands on his forearms, rubbing the firm muscles there as they both looked at the crib.

"So we have an empty bedroom, a crib, and an unused Christmas stocking," she observed, leaning back against him heavily and resting her head against his, "Now is probably a good time to admit to hiding a box Sookie gave me of Davey, Martha, and Theo's old baby clothes in the garage. You got anything else?"

"Uh," Luke laughed a little at her admission, "A box Liz gave me of clothes Doula's outgrown," he nodded to a small box sitting near the crib pieces.

"We're quite a pair," Lorelai huffed, and turned her head to press a kiss to his temple.

"I think we should agree no more baby stuff. I don't think either of us needs the added pressure, especially this soon."

Lorelai thought back to the prying conversation with her mother and nodded. As if being under Stars Hollow's microscope wasn't enough, she now knew her mother was overly focused on the subject as well, and there were several items in their house to keep reminding them. Pressure was an understatement, especially when she considered her own nagging thoughts she frequently pushed to the back of her mind.

They stood there, unmoving for a few more minutes until Lorelai's gaze fell upon the wrapped presents. There may not be someone in their lives to use the crib and boxes of clothes, but there were two people downstairs probably wondering where they'd run off to.

As Luke and Lorelai returned to the living room, Rory stopped whatever story she was telling April, and asked where the two had been.

"Luke forgot to wrap one of the things he bought," Lorelai answered as she carefully organized the gifts under the tree.

"I didn't forget," Luke objected. "I knew it was there, and it's why I've had the attic door locked since I bought it."

Lorelai turned and stood, a small smile on her face, "Well, I'm glad it worked out the way it did."

"Me too." Luke replied, returning the tiny, knowing smile.

Rory narrowed her eyes at the odd conversation happening in front of her and turned to glance at the movies again, noticing one was missing. She looked up as Luke opened a DVD case and walked over to the TV. Realizing which DVD had gone missing, and wishing her mother hadn't been so open-minded with the options, Rory groaned.

Before anyone could ask what had just happened, Luke turned and pointed at Rory, "I went to a Gilmore family Christmas party, complete with several awkward conversations, most of them about things I could care less about. I'm owed."

Lorelai laughed as she realized what Luke had just done and dropped onto the couch next to Rory, patting her knee, "He's right, babe. Looks like this year's official Gil-Nar-Danes Christmas Eve movie is Die Hard."

* * *

 _Author's Notes: Wow, I expected everyone to hate chapter 34! Thanks to all for the kind words, but d_ _on't worry, no more exes. There's only five chapters left, afterall..._

 _This is the last chapter of this fic that clocks in at over 10k words. The rest are around 5k-7k. I am trying desperately to get around to replying to as much feedback individually as I can, but if I miss you, PLEASE know I read and appreciate your comments SO much. Due to the holiday this weekend (father's day) it might be a day or two before I get around to posting the next chapter, but I will do my best to get it edited and posted as soon as I can! In the meantime, I highly recommend Fish Bag's post-series one-chapter fic, "Father's Day 2007". Naturally, this site balks at actual URLs *sigh*, so avail yourself of the search function above or find it in my Favorite Fics in my profile._


	37. Drop-outs and Drop-ins

**Chapter 37: Drop-outs and Drop-ins**

Rory sat in front of her laptop at her desk, putting the finishing touches on a last minute article requested by her boss. She had a feeling it would happen, as she knew the publication wouldn't be able to resist an article on the Obama family's Christmas plans.

As she looked at the photos of the family, she wondered what it must be like to watch one of your parents running for president at that age. It made her think of the milestones she'd been privy to in her mother's life and she smiled proudly, grateful for the atypical circumstances surrounding her existence. If Obama was elected, she hoped his daughters would see things similarly. She let out a sound and added a few lines in her article to express that sentiment.

She scanned through her writing one final time before sending the draft to Scott, then grabbed her phone to reply to the ongoing conversation with Miles. She hadn't expected to miss him on this particular trip. She had never missed him before. But the two of them had become better friends in the last two months, and she'd been finding him less bothersome than she had in the past. It was strange not having him around.

"April?" Rory called, looking for her step-sister. They were due to leave for the much anticipated tour of April's boarding school shortly, and April had nervously changed her clothes three separate times. She'd gotten upset with Luke's attempts to calm her down, reminding him that as a man, he couldn't possibly understand her clothing dilemma. Next, she'd resisted Lorelai's offer to help, claiming she always looked perfect without having to try, and Rory hadn't heard much since then.

She tapped on April's door, and was relieved to see a much calmer teenager in front of her as the door opened.

"Good choice," Rory smiled, gesturing to April's grey tights, navy wool skirt, and sweater. It was more bland than anything April would've normally chosen, but always eager to add a little quirkiness to her look, April had added a necklace and earrings she'd gotten from Liz for Christmas and a bracelet decorated with little turquoise embellishments. "I wanted to tell you that my first interview with Yale was completely sprung on me by my grandfather and I had on jeans and a t-shirt. Yale, April. So you're already way ahead of the game."

April took a deep, cleansing breath, "Thanks. Are Dad and Lorelai mad? I didn't mean to blow up at 'em, they were just... trying too hard. You know how parents can be."

"I'm sure Luke only used up a few boxes of tissue," Rory teased. "I'm going downstairs for coffee, you want some or you want to hide from the parental types a little longer?"

April turned to grab her notebook, and slid it into her bag before joining Rory in the doorway again, "I'm good. Let's caffeinate."

The two entered the kitchen to find Luke finishing breakfast dishes, and he eyed his daughter warily. Rory laughed as April patted him on the back and apologized for her earlier outburst. After splitting the meager amount of remaining coffee between two mugs, Rory began making another pot.

"Where did Mom run off to?" she asked.

"Taking the dog for a walk before we leave," Luke rolled his eyes, "Paul Anka has developed a fear of large snow drifts lately, so he's stuck to the back yard, and now that the snow's melted a little, she figured she'd indulge him."

"That dog is so odd," April shook her head.

"Says the one who he keeps sneaking off to sleep with," Rory said as she finished preparing April's coffee. She handed her the mug and sat on a stool at the island, "You should've heard the guilt trip my mom was trying to give him last night."

"Oh, he's still odd. I'm not complaining about his chosen bedroom, though. Keeps me nice and toasty."

"You shouldn't let him sleep on the bed with you," Luke frowned.

"Tired of him stealing your spot?" Lorelai called as she entered the kitchen, draping Paul Anka's leash over its designated hook on the wall. "I told you we should've gotten the king-sized bed."

"The bed is for two people, and two people fit fine." Luke pointed at Paul Anka as he trotted happily into the kitchen, "You have your own bed, furball."

"Which I'm leaving in April's room," Lorelai grumbled. "If he likes it in there so much, he can sleep in there full time."

"Please," Rory rolled her eyes, "You'll move it back the second you and Luke get back from dropping us off at the airport."

"Nope," Lorelai replied, knowing full well Rory was right. "Oooh, who made more coffee?"

"Me, because you drank almost the entire first pot on your own. That's for me and April," Rory stood and pulled the travel mugs she and April had gotten in their stockings out of the cupboard, pouring the majority of the pot's content into both, then gestured to the remaining contents, "There, you can have the rest. That is, afterall, what you left us."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and poured the leftover coffee into her own travel mug, then followed Luke upstairs, watching as he changed into a nice pair of pants and stared into the closet.

"Well, maybe I'm biased, but _I'd_ be impressed if you showed up like that," she observed, grinning. Luke chuckled and she followed him into their walk-in closet, leaning against the doorway. "Do we know if the people we're meeting are male or female?"

"Uh, a Mr. Hotchkiss, the dean of students, I guess is the main person. When I talked to him on the phone, he wasn't specific about the other faculty that would be there," Luke glanced over his shoulder with a smirk, "So, no, I don't think anyone would be impressed by me showing up without a shirt. Nevermind that it's freezing outside."

"His loss," Lorelai sighed dramatically and reached for a light blue button-down shirt, handing it to him. "Do you still have that coat my mother got you our first Christmas together?"

"Downstairs closet with your coat museum," Luke replied and wrinkled his nose as Lorelai grabbed the navy cashmere scarf her mother had bought him this Christmas from the bedroom, "Really?"

"Yeah. I know you can afford to send April here, but Mr. Hotchkiss doesn't. You have to at least look the part until she's in," Lorelai grabbed a tie-dyed shirt from her dresser and held it up, "Once she's in, I'll let you borrow this and a pair of cut-offs for the first day."

* * *

"What if I say something stupid?" April asked quietly as they walked to the school's administration office.

Luke reached over and squeezed her shoulder. He knew her propensity to ramble when she was nervous almost exceeded Lorelai's rambling abilities, but he also knew that when it came to school, she thrived under the pressure. He'd seen it at her math contest the previous year and while studying for tests.

"I kinda wish Mom was here," April said nervously. "No offense, Dad, I'm glad you, Lorelai, and Rory are here, especially since they've been through these kinds of schools, but it's a big deal and it's the first really big thing aside from science camp I've done, and-"

"I get it, you don't need to explain yourself," Luke replied, putting his arm around her as they walked. "You know, I have no idea what it's like to interview for a fancy school like this, but when I finished sixth grade - that wasn't part of middle school when I was a kid - I hated that my mom wasn't there for it."

He felt Lorelai's hand tighten around his as they walked and he returned the gesture.

April nodded and leaned against him for a moment, "I'm gonna call her as soon as we're done."

"I think that's a good idea."

Luke gazed at the surroundings as they approached the austere colonial building that housed the administration offices. Its bright white pillars and accents shone in the sunlight, a stark contrast against the dark red brick. Nothing was out of place, cracked, or dirty, and Luke wondered if perhaps the janitorial staff was stuck working through the holidays.

Once indoors, he was surprised at the red and gold marble, which provided an unexpectedly warm ambience. An older man approached the group of four, holding his hand out as he made eye contact with Luke.

"Mr. Danes? I'm Mr. Hotchkiss, I believe we spoke on the phone. I trust your holidays were pleasant?"

"Very, thank you." Luke replied, finding himself growing a little nervous as well. He cleared his throat and gestured to Lorelai, "This is my wife, Lorelai, and her daughter, Rory."

Mr. Hotchkiss nodded and smiled warmly, shaking their hands as well, "And where do you attend school, Rory?"

"Oh!" Rory chuckled, "Actually, I graduated from Yale in June."

"Rory's a journalist," Luke added proudly.

"Oh, very good," he nodded, "Well, that's very impressive. April, I believe you'd mentioned Yale as a potential interest in your application as well. It's important to have a support system, and if you have similar aspirations as your sister, her knowledge and experience may be of help to you. Now, if you'll follow me, first I'd like to show you some of the common areas, and I know April expressed interest in our swim team, equestrian center, and science labs as well, so we'll make sure each of these is covered. Before we begin, does anyone have any questions?"

* * *

Lorelai hung back as she watched April gaze at the pool in awe.

"You know this Hotchkiss guy?" Rory asked quietly.

"Nah, he wasn't here back then," Lorelai replied. "Actually, this pool wasn't either, they must have upgraded it."

"Like you ever spent any time near an athletics center."

"Um, excuse me, I broke into my school long before you ever tried that. They keep the pool heated throughout the year. Nothing like a midnight swim party during winter break."

Rory giggled, "Did you get caught?"

"Of course not. There were a few seniors and they'd spent all four years becoming good friends with the janitorial staff who, stupidly, looked the other way on several occasions."

Lorelai smiled as April's awe turned into excitement upon hearing Mr. Hotchkiss speak in more detail about their swim team. Seeing April's nervousness fade caused Luke's to taper off slightly as well, and Lorelai's smile widened as he spoke a little more freely with the dean.

After the tour commenced, the dean asked to speak with April alone, leaving Rory, Luke, and Lorelai in the office lobby. Lorelai noticed a bookshelf filled with yearbooks split up by decade. Finding the 1980's section, she pulled one of the books out, flipped through it with a smirk, and handed it to Rory. It wasn't open to a page of portraits, but rather a few candids, and Lorelai pointed to one as Luke peered over Rory's shoulder.

"I just look fat, but you can see little fetus Rory under my sweater vest here." Lorelai pointed to a girl at her locker, scowling unmistakably.

"You don't look fat, you look pregnant. You're scrawny with a belly, and man, you look pissed," Rory laughed.

"I'd probably just puked in the bathroom," she pointed to the girl standing next to her, "Only person in my entire group of, quote unquote _friends_ that visited us in the hospital."

"Where'd she wind up?"

"No idea. She moved a few months later, and we weren't that close. She was nice, though. Brought you a stuffed bunny."

Rory turned to the portraits and saw a photo of her mother she'd seen at her grandparents' house. For as grumpy as the girl in the candid looked, this one was smiling brightly, a mischievous glint in her eye; she had no idea that it would be the last of her official high school pictures.

"Whatever happened to your yearbooks?" Rory asked curiously.

"Didn't finish the year, so I didn't get one. The only reason I know those photos are in there is because I saw your dad's. My freshman yearbook is somewhere at your grandparents' house, though," Lorelai shut the book as Rory handed it back, and walked away to put it back on the shelf, careful to ensure it looked as though it had never been touched.

Rory turned to Luke, "You still have your yearbooks?"

"No, was never much for school or photos, and I didn't keep most of my track stuff aside from the trophies. I think I let Kirk borrow the letterman jacket once for a Halloween costume a decade ago, and never got the damn thing back."

"Well, that's Kirk," Rory nodded, unsurprised. "He probably stained it and was too embarrassed to tell you."

"Or gave it to some dumb girl and told her it was his," Luke grumbled. He rubbed his hands together nervously as he sat on the bench outside the office, "They've been in there awhile."

"Transcripts, interests, social activities. Oddly personal questions..." Rory thought back as she joined him, "You know, she's actually lucky, my Chilton interview was over the phone, and it was painfully awkward because I couldn't see Headmaster Charleston's face, so I couldn't gauge his reactions. I had a few very unimpressive answers to some things because I thought his silence meant he was waiting for more, and I rambled worse than Mom when she's nervous. Ugh," she shook her head at the memory. "My point is, April is a far better interviewer, and she's doing it in person, so she has the advantage of obvious social cues," she patted Luke's knee, "Relax a little."

Several more painful minutes passed, and Luke shot up the second the door opened, nearly knocking Lorelai off the bench. She and Rory exchanged an amused glance as they stood - far more slowly - and watched April pause outside the doorway to shake Mr. Hotchkiss's hand.

"April, it's been a pleasure. Mr. Danes, Mrs. Danes, Rory, thank you for your time and for bringing April today. I'm sure we'll all be speaking again soon," he smiled.

April was giddy the entire walk to the car as she discussed the details of her interview, both to the three adults with her, as well as her mother on the other end of the phone, ensuring wouldn't have to tell the story twice.

Rory watched her own mother closely as they drove home. Aside from the yearbook, and the story about the pool, she'd been uncharacteristically quiet. She could tell Luke noticed as well as he grinned at April's excitement, but never dropped his wife's hand as they walked.

Once home, April ran up to her room to finish telling her mom about the tour, and Luke went upstairs to change, while Lorelai kicked off her heels and dropped onto the couch. Rory pulled her legs up under her as she sat in one of the living room chairs.

"Pretty weird for you today, huh?" Rory asked.

Lorelai took a deep breath before replying, "Yeah."

"You were pretty quiet. Too many bad memories?"

"That's the weird thing," Lorelai dropped her head on her hand as she leaned her elbow on the armrest. "It wasn't all bad memories. I mean, there's a layer of gloom that kind of wafts through it all, but there's a little sunshine here and there too. It's weird looking at it from such a different perspective now, and seeing April so entranced by it all, when it was never that exciting or thrilling for me."

Luke walked downstairs, pushing the sleeves of his long sleeved t-shirt up his forearms as he bent down to start a fire. Once he had a flame going, he moved the screen into place and stepped back, brushing his hands on his jeans as he walked over to join Lorelai on the couch.

"What was your interview like?" he asked.

"Didn't have one," Lorelai shrugged, "My private school filtered to three different prep schools in the area, Putnam Hall was one of 'em."

"And you had the highest GPA in your private school, would have been valedictorian for your eighth grade class if you hadn't turned down the offer, and Grandma says you _did_ choose Putnam Hall, and of the three, it was the hardest to get into," Rory looked at her mother with a raised eyebrow, "You were accepted without an interview because all three wanted you with or without it."

"Something like that," Lorelai glanced at Luke and, seeing the look on his face, dropped her hand on his leg, "Don't look so impressed, hon, there's a few things missing in that story."

"Like what?" Rory frowned, curious to know of the holes that filled in the story her grandmother had told her years ago.

"Like I was _expected_ to do all of that. If I hadn't made the choice to go to Putnam Hall, the choice would've been made for me. I picked it to beat _them_ to the punch, not because I actually wanted to go." The room was quiet for a few minutes, only the sounds of the crackling fire keeping the silence at bay. "There were a lot of expectations with them, Rory. It's why I was very careful never to place those on you. You've always had your own, and double the expectations is a very heavy load for a child to carry."

"What would you have done if you hadn't had me?" Rory asked, curiously. When it came down to it, she'd been Lorelai's one way ticket out of that life.

Lorelai thought for a moment and looked up at Rory as a smile spread across her face, "I have no idea, and I am forever grateful that I never had to find out."

Rory nodded, smiling slightly in response, but feeling an overwhelming sadness for the differences in their lives. Even when she'd dropped out of Yale and run off with that damn yacht, her mother's only requirement was that she not give up on school. In retrospect, she was relieved the damage caused by her choices at the time hadn't been permanent; she still kept a countdown to the date when she could hire a lawyer to get the awful mistake purged from her record. She knew if she ever left Blast, it could very well work against her professionally.

April bounded into the room, phone in hand, providing a much needed charge in the solemn energy permeating the room.

"Mom got another call while we were talking. I have a second interview already. I guess it's more like interviews plural, because I have a phone call with the head of the science department and a big one with the head of the school lined up when I get back to New Mexico."

"Way to go, April!" Lorelai grinned, leaning forward to high-five her stepdaughter.

"Thank you! And thank you guys so much for coming. Mr. Hotchkiss mentioned how great it was to see a family like ours work so well together, he usually winds up with the worst of it with blended families. Little does he know... but anyway, I guess Mom talked to him for a long time when he first called, and I have no idea what she said, but it made him interested to see what the dynamic was like."

Luke stood, a proud smile on his face, both for what she'd said about her family, and for her accomplishment, and gave her a big hug.

"Well, I think we should celebrate. April, what do you want for dinner?"

"Chinese takeout. And I know, Dad, not Al's, that's fine. I just really want some egg rolls and lo mein right now, and maybe... some pie?"

Luke rolled his eyes and made eye contact with Lorelai, who was now grinning proudly for an entirely new reason.

"I'll take care of the Chinese food order if you take care of either making or running to the diner for pie," Lorelai suggested.

"Fine. It's now sleeting out, but I'll pick up some celebratory pie," he poked April, "You're coming with since you dragged me into this."

"Fine by me," April grinned, "Just let me change into jeans real quick and we can go."

After Luke and April left, Rory and Lorelai worked on their order. As Lorelai left the living room to call it in, Rory watched Paul Anka staring morosely out the window at the nasty weather. She glanced down at her phone, wondering why Miles hadn't replied to her last text, and decided to pout along with the dog for a few minutes. Their mutual pity party was interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

Rory's jaw dropped as she looked through the peep hole, and she quickly pulled open the door.

"I've got five types of fancy, high-end chocolate, some local, some imported, plus fresh whipping cream from a local dairy. No homemade marshmallows, 'cause those take too long. And I know you're going to say, 'Miles, you're a pest, I will see you in two days, why are you at my house?' and to that I say, 'Rory, I brought you the ingredients for the best hot chocolate you'll ever taste, I just drove four hours, it's sleeting, and I have to pee. Will you please just let me in?'"

Rory laughed and stepped aside, ushering him in, "You're insane!" she shut the door behind him and gave him a quick hug. "What are you doing here?!"

"I wanted hot chocolate," Miles shrugged, grinning.

"You came all the way to Connecticut to have hot chocolate."

"Yes. I was out shopping for ingredients, and the closest place that had what I wanted was a two hour drive. I wondered how far that was between Burlington and Stars Hollow, and it was about halfway. So I packed a bag and figured I'd see if my old friend Rory was up for some cocoa."

"Old friend," she chuckled. "Well, uh, we don't really have a guest bedroom."

"Nah, don't need one. Got a room at that fancy little Dragonfly Inn thanks to a storm somewhere between here and Chicago canceling a bunch of flights, and therefore a handful of reservations. Bummer for your mom, though."

Rory shook her head, still shocked to see Miles standing there, in Stars Hollow, in her _house,_ right in front of her face. Before she could reply, she heard her mother's voice call from the kitchen.

"Rory, I don't think I've ever spent that much money at China Garden in our entire lives!" Lorelai stopped in the middle of the hallway and stared at the front door several feet away. She quickly buried the shocked look on her face, recognizing the person in front of her from countless photos, and smiled invitingly, "Hi there. How do you feel about Chinese take-out?"

"I feel pretty good about it most of the time," Miles nodded, his grin widening as he realized he was finally meeting the only-slightly-less-of-a-pest-than-he-was woman he'd heard so much about.

Rory rolled her eyes, "Mom, Miles Evenson. Miles, my mother, Lorelai Gil-ah-Danes. Danes. Sorry. Still not used to that."

Lorelai shrugged and walked toward the young man who'd been the primary subject in Rory's stories over the last few months and shook his hand, "Great to finally meet you, Miles." She turned to Rory, who was watching with amusement as the two people who'd both expressed interest in meeting finally encountered each other. "I added a few things to our order to round it off. We've nearly ordered half the menu. I don't know about you, but I'm impressed. Gonna call Luke and tell him to bring home a few extra pies. Miles, do you have a pie preference?"

"I'm sure Rory's told you about the dry crusty things passing for pies that we've had on the road. I'll have anything _not_ fitting that description."

"Excellent," Lorelai replied, and left to call Luke, leaving out the reason for the extra pies until he arrived and could see for himself.

Rory glanced at the bag of hot chocolate ingredients in his left hand and pointed at it, "Let's take that to the kitchen, I'll point you to the bathroom, and then I'll give you the tour."

Miles nodded, following Rory down the hall and into the kitchen. He set the bag on the island and looked around, "This kitchen is gorgeous. And so odd for two women who don't cook."

"Luke cooks, smartass, you know that," Rory glared, pulling cream and milk out of the bag and placing it in the refrigerator, "Anything else need to go in the fridge?"

"The chocolate."

"Isn't that gonna melt down or something anyway?"

Miles held up a hand, "Trust the hot chocolate master, here, okay? Chocolate in the fridge. The rest can sit out."

"Fine, fine," Rory replied, adding the chocolate to the refrigerator and putting the bag in the large pantry nearby. "So this is the kitchen."

"Home to ol' man Luke-"

"If you want to live through the rest of the day, you'll want to avoid calling the man that, especially in his own house."

Miles saluted, "I'm on my best behavior from this point on. Where's the restroom, and then I want to see library I've heard so much about."

Rory grinned and pointed him to the downstairs bathroom and, a few minutes later, led him back down the hallway and into the library, pointing out the different sections and plans for the future. Miles glanced briefly at the books and, like most people, immediately zeroed in on the pictures of her and April on the mantle.

"You've seen most of those on my laptop," Rory pointed out, crossing her arms in front of her as she watched him.

"Sshhh, you'll ruin the experience."

"There's more you haven't seen in the living room, if fireplace mantle photo galleries are your thing."

Miles laughed, "Any photo galleries are my thing. Lead the way, Gilmore."

* * *

"Whose car is that out front?" Luke asked as he set the bag of pies down on the kitchen counter.

Lorelai grinned mysteriously and leaned against the counter, "Rory has a gentleman caller."

"Here?" Luke asked, confused. "Someone we know? Tell me it's not Dean again."

Lorelai snorted, "Yeah, sure, Luke, it's Dean. He was so inspired by our third try, he thought he'd give it one last go, and Rory swooned right in the entryway when he professed his undying... no, Luke, not Dean. That's why I called about the extra pie."

He rolled his eyes and followed her into the living room. He heard an unfamiliar male voice upstairs and cocked his head, "Lorelai just tell me who-"

He was interrupted by the voices clearly headed down the stairs and glared as Lorelai poked him hard in the ribs.

"It's Miles, her photographer. Do not scare him off, he's a friend, not a suitor, as far as we know, anyway. Put the possessive father figure bit back in your pocket, bud, he's a nice guy."

Luke sighed and shrugged off his jacket, walked to the hall closet to put it away, then returned to the living room to argue his case that he wasn't always that overprotective. Realizing he had yet to actually prove that, he decided to stoke the fire while he waited for Rory and Miles to make their way into the living room. He saw April smirking out of the corner of his eye and shot her a warning look. Everyone, it seemed, was expecting him to overreact to Rory having a male friend in the house.

"Luke, April!" Rory smiled as she entered the living room, "This is Miles, the photographer I work with on the road. Miles, this is my step-dad, Luke, and step-sister April."

Luke smiled warmly, earning a surprised look from Rory, and shook Miles' hand, then stepped aside so April could do the same. It was Luke's turn to look surprised when Rory explained how Miles had wound up in Stars Hollow. He noticed the enamored expression on April's face as she heard the story, and bit back a groan. There were times he desperately missed the younger girl he'd met two years ago who'd been so interested in a boy she barely spoke to the kid. Now, she swooned over boys, romantic movies, and someone Rory may or may not even be interested in.

An hour later, April and Miles were caught up in a discussion about some of the places they'd both visited in New Mexico, and April was impressed at the amount of locations Miles had been able to get to that weren't open to the general public. Rory noticed her mother and Luke had been conspicuously absent, and excused herself to join them in the kitchen. She knew they were trying to give the younger crowd a little space, but it was starting to come off as strange more than unimposing.

"Hiding?" Rory addressed the couple talking quietly at the kitchen table.

Lorelai laughed as she regarded her daughter, "No, Luke was hooking my Christmas present up in the bedroom." She held up the manual for her new TV.

"And now?"

"We were going to make out, but you've ruined that plan, thanks kid."

"Oh, like my presence has ever stopped you before," Rory smirked as she watched Luke's ears turn red.

"April and I think it's hot chocolate time," Miles announced, poking Rory in the back as he walked into the kitchen. "Rory, I need an assistant."

"Uh, I don't-"

"It's easy, I promise."

Rory shot her mother a panic face, and turned to Miles as he placed a heavy bar of chocolate in her hands. "You realize this is the fourth day I've ever lived in this house and have no idea where anything is."

"So, you're resourceful on the road, but not in the kitchen?" Miles teased, "I'm sure you'll figure out a way to find the facts about where things are. First, we'll need a whisk, a bowl, grater, a cutting board, knife, measuring cups, and a teaspoon."

Rory rolled her eyes and looked at Luke, "What he said, where are those things?"

Rather than getting up to take over as the assistant, as Rory had hoped, Luke called out the locations of each item, avoiding eye contact with Lorelai entirely lest either of them start outright giggling over the situation.

* * *

"If it's too thick," Miles explained as they reclined in the living room with their mugs, "You can add milk. I try to thin it down, but it's still a little thicker than you're probably used to."

"Noooo," Lorelai moaned as she sipped her mug, "This is amazing. Thanks for sharing."

"I know, I can't believe you drove over four hours to make hot chocolate for Rory and three people you've never met." April said, still awed over the gesture.

Rory smiled with amusement as she watched Miles observe the people he'd heard countless stories about. She was enjoying seeing him in a relaxed setting, outside of work. This was the lighthearted Miles she'd seen on a handful of occasions, far more quick to laugh and smile than the introverted photographer he became on the road.

"-a little coffee river right down the middle of the bus," she heard Miles say several minutes later, breaking her reverie.

"Wait a minute!" Rory pointed at Miles, "You're the one that knocked my coffee over in your sleep, Eric's the one that kicked it away. _None_ of that was my fault. If you'd kept your feet away from _my_ side of the bus, and Eric had just grabbed it instead of acting like he was five, there wouldn't have been an issue," she glanced at her mom and Luke, "Anyway, Kyla and I did the best we could to mop it up, but that's why the bus now has a slight aroma of coffee."

"Oh, but what an aroma," Lorelai grinned.

Miles laughed, and Rory encouraged him to tell the rest of the room about Batu. She could tell he was starting to grow weary of being the center of attention, but he relented and added in a few more stories she hadn't heard about his time in Mongolia.

After hot chocolate and pie, Luke left to spend a few more hours at the diner and close up, and April decided to join him, leaving Lorelai and Rory to entertain Miles. Rory glared at her phone as Scott Morrow called with a last minute addition to her Christmas story, and she ran upstairs to take the call.

"It's so weird to be meeting you for the first time. I feel like I already know you," Miles sat up and regarded his friend's mother.

Lorelai wrinkled her nose, "I can't even imagine the horror stories you've been told. Let me tell you, only half are probably true."

He laughed, "Nah, only a few horror stories. I kinda lived in my sister's shadow most of my life, even though she was younger. My childhood and Rory's are such a stark contrast... I tend to ask about her's a lot when we talk. It's like the stuff dreams are made of."

"I wouldn't really call Rory's childhood normal, and keep in mind, she may romanticize it a little in the re-telling," Lorelai replied, curious what Rory might have said. "It wasn't perfect. _I_ wasn't perfect."

"You don't hear about a lot of teen moms raising Yale graduates."

"That's all Rory, not me."

"Not how she sees it," Miles grinned.

"Well I raised a crazy person, then. Anyway, I'm glad she's got a group of friends out there. I was worried she'd be too focused on work and wouldn't let herself have fun."

"Really," Miles said, raising his eyebrows in surprise, "Half the time, she's the one dropping the first text to get us all out of our caves. And I'm a perpetual hermit, so the fact that she's somehow managed to drag me into her crazy group of reporter friends says a lot."

Lorelai nodded with a smile, absorbing this news. Rory had never mentioned that, or even implied as much.

"More than that," Miles continued, "She... she's kind of a bridge, I guess you'd say, between the younger reporters and the more seasoned ones. Of course, she's not just the first to get career-obsessed reporters out to have fun, but she's also the one writing the best stories. She talks to the people she interviews, doesn't just hit them with a bunch of prying questions, so she weeds out the people who want to be heard from the people who actually have something interesting to say the way she does it. It's made me a better observer and photographer, following her lead that way."

"You know, when she was in high school, her first writing assignment at her school newspaper was about the parking lot being re-paved, and she turned it into a commentary on life."

"Why does that not surprise me?"

Miles and Lorelai exchanged a proud smile, and Lorelai was about to ask another question when Rory walked into the room, "And I'm done. I really hope I don't have to do that again every holiday until November. It's not all that interesting."

"Please, you could make a parking lot interesting," Miles teased.

"A parking lot?" Rory glared at her mother, "No Chilton stories."

"Just Chilton? Because I have these great debutante photos-"

"You show him mine, I'll show him yours, eighties girl."

"Ha! There are no such photos because my debutante ball never happened!"

"Ohhh, but posed photos did. Grandma gave me an album of old photos back in high school, and there were definitely debutante photos taken before I made the dress too tight. I don't think that shade of frosty blue eyeshadow worked even for you."

Lorelai gasped, "I didn't know she ever got those printed! Burn that!"

"No way!"

"Wait, wait!" Miles stood, his face beaming with amusement, "Rory, you were a _debutante_?!"

Rory pointed her finger at her mother, "This is all your fault!"

* * *

 _Author's Notes: Putnam Hall is very, VERY loosely based on the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, CT. Hence, the dean's name. And they do have a really nice pool (the school in general seems kind of awesome, but the biggest difference between Putnam Hall and Hotchkiss School is that PH is not a boarding school and HS primarily is). Figured if Amy can loosely base Chilton on a private CT prep school, I can too. ;) They never mention Lorelai's school in the show, but the blazer she's wearing in "Dear Emily and Richard" has a P and an H on it, so I let my imagination run._

 _I based the name off Israel Putnam, a historical figure from the New England area. According to folk tales, he killed Connecticut's last known wolf. Hence, my decision make the wolves their mascot (mentioned in a previous chapter)... which made me giggle incessantly. Yes, I'm weird. ;)_

 _Miles' hot chocolate is based on several amazing recipes I've found online, and advice from a few friends who refuse to use the powdered stuff. Yum._

 _Can't tell you how weird it is to edit a winter chapter when it was 100ºF where I live in southern California today... thank goodness for air conditioning._

 _Four chapters to go..._


	38. Worth Thinking About

**Chapter 38: Worth Thinking About**

Luke and Lorelai sat on the floor of Luke's old apartment, a few floor plans and elevations spread out in front of them as they looked around the nearly empty room.

"I hate that one," Lorelai pointed to a drawing that had a more modern look to it, with a rounded counter shaped like an elongated kidney bean.

"Me too," Luke nodded. After several more minutes of deliberating, they'd still only managed to remove the one option. He suggested flipping a coin over the rest, but Lorelai recoiled in horror at the idea of leaving such an important decision up to a coin toss. Instead, she walked downstairs to refill her coffee and leave Luke to ponder the future of his old apartment alone for a few minutes.

"When is construction gonna start?" Cesar asked worriedly as he returned from serving a customer.

"Not for awhile. There's a to-do list a mile long before we can even get to that point. There's no rush, though, so it won't be as invasive as when he was adding the extension for Jess," Lorelai reassured him.

"Good. Pretty sure that violated a bunch of health codes, and having to wash construction dust off clean dishes several times a day was annoying," Cesar shook his head with disdain.

Lorelai chuckled, agreeing with Cesar. She turned as Luke appeared from behind the curtain and he sighed, dropping two of the plans in front of her.

"I can't look at this anymore, but I think I've narrowed it down to those two," he said, sitting on the stool next to her.

"Ooh," Lorelai looked at each, "I think it's going to rely heavily on what you're thinking looks-wise," she looked up at him as he stared blankly back at her, "Like colors? Style?"

"Uh, I guess, kind of an extension of what it looks like down here, maybe a little more updated," he rubbed the back of his neck, "I really don't know how to describe it. Nothing too fancy or modern, but I don't want it to look like an old hardware store up there."

Lorelai bit her lip in thought. Luke was keeping an impressively tight budget for the project, and hiring a designer didn't really fit into that; though he could easily afford it, Lorelai knew he hated the idea of dealing with someone concerned about details he didn't care much about.

She thought back to the inn, and the time before the inn, when she could only daydream about it. She'd wanted so much of the Dragonfly to be an extension of herself. Similarly, she knew the cafe should be an extension of Luke, even more so than his father's old hardware store downstairs could ever be.

"Now I know that's not gazing, that's outright staring at me," Luke poked her in the arm.

"Staring, but past you, not at you," Lorelai clarified with a grin. "Can I take these with me back to work? I want to think about this some more."

"Please. Get them away from me."

"Done," she said as she stuffed them in her purse, "Coffee to go, please? I'll be back for dinner."

* * *

"What's all this?" Luke asked as he walked into the living room, finding Lorelai seated at the coffee table with several print-outs, magazines, paint swatches, and post-its laid out in front of her.

"Ideas," Lorelai replied with a wide grin. "I think I've come up with some things you'll like."

She pushed herself up and sat on the couch, rubbing her neck. She hadn't moved in hours, had missed dinner completely, but Luke had two very viable options for the cafe.

Luke's jaw dropped when he realized the magnitude of what she'd been working on. He really had no idea why he was so surprised, it was classic Lorelai.

"Don't look too closely though, I haven't put them on the boards yet."

"Boards?"

Lorelai gestured to the two foam core boards leaning against a chair, "Boards. For my final presentation."

Luke leaned over to get a better view of Lorelai's work only to feel her hit him hard with one of the pillows from the sofa.

"Hey!"

"No peeking, I'm not done!"

"I just want an idea of- what are you doing?"

Lorelai stood and was quickly shoving things into bags, "Well if you're going to snoop, I'm not leaving it out where you can see it."

"I'm not snooping, I want to see what you've been doing. It _is_ my cafe," Luke laughed grabbing anything he could get his hands on before she hid it.

"The cafe was _my_ idea!"

"It's above _my_ diner!"

"What happened to 'what's mine is yours'?!"

Luke reached over Lorelai to grab one of the bags, earning him a not-so-gentle shove to the ribs. The movement caught him off guard, causing the dozing Paul Anka to run across the room in terror as the lumbering Luke sprawled backwards onto the couch. Lorelai let out a triumphant "Hah!"

Refusing to give up, Luke reached forward and tugged hard on the waistband of Lorelai's jeans, just enough to throw her off balance. As she attempted to re-orient herself, Luke wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her onto the couch next to him.

Before she could counter his attack, the phone in her pocket began buzzing. As she reached for it, Luke bounced up and began gathering everything she'd just put together. Seeing it was Rory calling, Lorelai answered the phone, yelling at Luke as she did so.

"Luke! Leave it!"

"What?" Rory asked, confused.

"He's... hold on," Lorelai tossed her phone on the couch, "Luke! You're ruining my entire plan!"

"The plans look great to me!"

"But you don't know which stuff goes with which option!"

"I'll figure it out!" he called, bolting into the hallway and up the stairs with all of the work she'd done.

Lorelai groaned and sat back down, reaching for the phone, "Why did I marry him? He's a complete spoilsport and he's ruining my entire surprise."

"What's he doing?"

"I just spent the last... god, four hours, working on a whole presentation for two possible options for the look of the cafe, and Luke got home before I could either finish or hide it. He _very_ _literally_ man-handled me to steal it, ran off with it, and he's hiding upstairs now," she grumbled, and yelled toward the stairs, "With _my_ ideas!"

"Well that's not very nice," Rory chuckled, "You put together a presentation?"

"No, I was _putting_ together a presentation."

"For Luke?"

"Yes. Is this confusing?"

"You're putting together an entire interior design proposal for your husband? Like with the stands and everything professional designers do?"

"Well, yeah."

Rory shook her head with a laugh, "I'm sorry, I forgot who I was talking to for a second there. I'm better now. So now you aren't going to follow through?"

"Depends on how much your step-father gets through by the time I get up there. With my luck, he'll want bits of each thing that don't match at all," Lorelai grumbled. "Whatever. I wasn't expecting to hear from you till later. What's up?"

"Tomorrow is a free day, so we're all staying out late and going to some local battle of the bands. It reminded me of Hep Alien's early days, and I didn't want to cancel on you, so I called early instead," Rory replied as she dug through her luggage for the old Hep Alien shirt Lane had given her years ago that had, by some odd twist of fate, ended up in her luggage.

"Battle of the bands? Cute."

"Well," Rory said, sitting back on her bed, "That's what you get in small town Michigan, I guess. It's weird to think in a few days I'll be at our third primary. It felt like it took so long to get here, and now here we are."

The time really had flown by, and it had been on Rory's mind a lot lately. Over the course of the last seven months, she'd gone from missing the easy, familiar life at Yale and her comfortable relationship with Logan, to embracing a strange life centered around a constantly moving caravan of reporters and photographers. What was once new and unfamiliar was normal, and what was previously considered normal was a mere memory.

So much had changed in Stars Hollow, and yet... so little. The house had changed, she now had a step-father and step-sister, but those changes didn't feel as odd as she'd expected; while the house, itself, might take some getting used to, the energy that filled it made it easy to begin adapting.

Rory realized she was truly beginning to understand what Mia meant about home being a plural concept.

After catching up on the latest Stars Hollow gossip and sharing her own stories from the road, Rory forced herself off the bed to start getting ready for her crazy evening. She cringed in the mirror as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail, wishing she didn't look so young when she dressed casually. Every time they'd gone out, she was always the one that caused the group to get carded.

Frowning, she spent a little extra time on her eye makeup, hoping it would add an extra year or two to the perpetual teenager she saw in the mirror. She knew she'd be grateful for it in twenty years, but for now, it was annoying, and there was nothing worse than drawing the attention of a local teenage boy - the teasing lasted for days.

Once they'd arrived at the warehouse-turned-temporary-concert venue, she saw Miles and Eric wrinkle their noses at the haphazard "bar" area serving only crappy beer and worse wine. Rory rolled her eyes and bought cans of the best of the bad beer for each of them. They stood around talking and watching the young crowd filling in around them; the majority of the audience sported a gigantic black X on their hand, signifying they were too young to drink. Rory smirked and sent Lane a picture of a grumpy asian girl with the "mark of the teen" on her hand, purple hair, and a nose ring. Lane's reply was immediate.

 _Oh my god, she got my life. I want to hug her._

Distracted, she hadn't realized everyone but Miles had begun moving toward the stage. The crowd was following suit, and she wanted to get closer as well. Rory grabbed his hand and dragged him across the floor, weaving between people as they made their way to the stage area.

Miles laughed at her determination, trying to convince her they were close enough.

"We're teenagers tonight," Rory grinned widely, "You can't act like an adult and stay back for the sake of your ears. If they don't feel numb in the morning, we're not close enough."

"My ears are gonna be numb from the playing as it is," Miles called from behind her, "How old do you think the band is?!"

"Just because their parents are letting them stay out past curfew does not mean they suck," Rory defended the young group of musicians tuning their instruments on stage, "I've told you about Lane and her band. They were pretty good, and they were young. Maybe we're seeing the next big thing."

Rory felt Miles squeeze her hand as they came to a stop, and wondered if he'd meant to hold it those extra few seconds. Surely not, and she knew it only felt comfortable because her hand was still cold from the icy can of beer she'd held moments before.

A few hours later, Rory shook her head as they left, her ears buzzing from the loud music, "Or, maybe not the next big thing," Rory commented on the poor playing, "But they seemed to be having fun at least...?"

"And I can say I've actually heard the worst bands in Michigan," Miles laughed, rubbing his ears.

He briefly touched her shoulder as he moved past her, exiting the elevator, "Night, Rory, thanks for the rad night and hookin' me up with a beer. That was beyond awesome, man. You're a pretty fly chick."

Rory snickered and rolled her eyes, waving as the elevator doors closed. They'd finally had a successful night out with no awkward conversations, no discussion of exes, and no arguments. And they'd actually had fun despite the lack of talent among the young band members battling for superiority. Miles had a tendency to be exceptionally picky about music, yet she was pretty sure he'd been smiling the entire night as they danced and swayed with the crowd to the sounds coming from the stages.

She forced herself not to think about how many times the crowd had pushed her against Miles, or how disappointing it was when the mass of people would shift again and there would no longer be a reason to be touching him. It was circumstantial, she knew, the product of spending so many days and nights together. He certainly wasn't bad looking, which would account for a physical attraction, but Rory knew better than to dwell on these things.

Reaching for her notebook, she let herself fall onto her bed - an impressive five out of ten on her comfort scale - while she edited her earlier work.

* * *

"Lorelai!" Michel stage-whispered as Lorelai walked in the door of the Dragonfly.

"What, Michel?" Lorelai asked, changing direction from her office to the front desk.

"You have a visitor in the library," he said quietly, his eyes wide and somewhat panicked, "Paul Torres."

"Paul Torres?" she blinked. She hadn't spoken to him since she'd turned down his offer to buy or otherwise invest in the Dragonfly. "Did I miss something? As far as I know, the only major thing on my agenda today was that financial meeting with Ann."

"No. He walked in, asked what time you were due in, I told him I was not sure, because, you know, you do not always arrive at the same time every day, sometimes do not come in at all, and-"

"When I don't come in, I call unless it was pre-arranged. You know that. Michel, get to the point."

"He said he would wait for you. In there," Michel gestured to the library, then added with disgust, "Justine brought him coffee. I want him out."

These business types were certainly pushy. Lorelai sighed, "Okay. I should probably find out what he wants. Let me go grab my own coffee and drop my stuff in my office. Can you tell him I'm here and I'll be with him in a moment?"

Michel nodded, frowning, but made no further comments. He knew he was still on thin ice with Lorelai after what had happened with Paul Torres not too long ago, and he wasn't thrilled to have the man around again to remind his boss of it. Resigned to whatever fate beheld him, Michel slowly walked to the library to inform Mr. Torres that Lorelai would meet with him shortly.

She walked into the kitchen and reached for a mug and a danish, suddenly feeling tired.

Sookie noticed her slumped shoulders and walked over, keeping one eye on her friend as she busied herself in the kitchen, "No breakfast with the hubby today, huh?"

"No, Luke had an early meeting at the bank. I couldn't fall back to sleep for awhile after he left, and when I _did_ finally fall asleep, I slept through my alarm. It's been a hectic morning. And now, Paul Torres is sitting in our library," she gestured behind her.

"Paul Torres? What's he doing back already? Another offer on the inn? I'm thinking we should just accept to get these people off our backs," Sookie rolled her eyes.

"No kidding. I have no idea why he's here. Michel said he just showed up this morning wanting to talk to me. I'm nervous enough about this financial meeting with Ann later, Luke wants to drag me into another cafe meeting before dinner tonight. I don't want to deal with this on top of all _that_ ," Lorelai closed her eyes and leaned against the counter. "Actually, I think I want to go back to Hawaii."

"Yeah, yeah, Hawaii this, Hawaii that," the vacation deprived chef whined, "You might as well get it over with. If you want me to hop in and either confuse him, annoy him, or just yell at him, let me know."

"I will," Lorelai pushed off the counter, shoving herself forward. After topping off her coffee, she straightened her shoulders and prepared her best professional smile as she walked into the library.

"Mr. Torres, welcome back."

"Ms. Gilmore, it's nice to see you again," Paul Torres shook her hand. "I apologize for busting in on you like this, but you happen to be on my way to another meeting, and I thought it couldn't hurt to stop by. I hope you don't already have plans this morning? I have something I'd like to talk to you about."

"Um, no, not this morning. But, with all due respect, I'm still not looking to sell."

He nodded, "I understand. You were very clear before. This, actually, is not about the Dragonfly at all. I have a proposal for you."

"A proposal?" Lorelai asked, smiling at a guest as she entered to peruse the books, "This is probably a better discussion for my office. Can I get you more coffee or anything?"

The businessman declined and followed Lorelai, taking a moment to smile at the newly added wedding photograph on her desk before sitting across from her. He reached down and pulled a folder out of his briefcase and, from that, slid a photograph in front of her.

She leaned forward to take a look, frowning with confusion as she took in a photograph of a massive, run-down, colonial style building. Not nearly in as bad shape as the Dragonfly had been in, but certainly not livable.

"What's this?" she asked, looking up.

"I'd like to make you an offer you can't refuse."

* * *

It was rare for Luke to come home to a dark house, especially when the jeep was in the driveway. Normally, Lorelai would be camped out in front of the TV with a snack, ready with a grumpy remark, especially when he was late coming home and she was hungry. He was grateful for the quiet solitude, giving him a moment to get his attitude in check.

He was far from happy with his present circumstances. The endless planning of the cafe, from budget meetings to meetings with the interior designer Lorelai had found to polish up the idea they'd put together weren't of any interest to him, and he was desperate to pass them over to Lorelai. They were the kinds of details she excelled at. But it was his cafe, attached to his diner, in his former apartment, in his father's former office and storage area, and he knew it was his responsibility.

After a few minutes of seclusion, Luke realized Paul Anka had failed to greet him, and decided to seek out his wife and their dog. After walking upstairs, he saw the warm glow coming from the office and walked in to find Lorelai at her desk, a spread of paperwork and photographs in front of her.

He rested his hand on the off-white wall and looked around. Despite the efforts they'd put toward making the room into a comfortable, relaxing home office, it still felt temporary. They'd had conversation after conversation about not thinking of this particular room as a second kid's bedroom until they had a first one, yet he thought about the still absent first one every time he walked in.

Realizing Lorelai still hadn't noticed his arrival, and seeing Paul Anka - spectacular watch dog that he was - curled up in a tight ball in his bed, Luke walked over and gently dropped his hands on his wife's shoulders, giving them a slight squeeze.

"Still working?"

"Oh, uh, no. This isn't... well. It's not Dragonfly stuff," she leaned her head back for a quick upside-down kiss, which Luke gladly bestowed upon her.

"What is it?" he frowned, getting a closer look at her desk. His eyes focused on a few photos of an old building, what appeared to be interior shots, a floor plan, and a long page of hand-written notes in Lorelai's unmistakable penmanship. "Planning on opening another inn?"

Lorelai sighed and shook her head, "I'll explain while you make dinner."

"Lasagna, remember? Just a matter of moving the casserole dish from the fridge to the oven. I left you a post-it on top in case you were hungry enough to attempt it," he said, stepping back so she could stand.

"Really? How long have we known each other?" she laughed as she followed him downstairs.

She poured wine for herself and opened a beer for Luke while he threw together a salad.

"So..." she began, "Paul Torres stopped by today." She stopped to watch Luke bristle, just as she'd expected he would.

He put the knife down and turned his head to look at her, a weary expression on his face.

"It wasn't about buying the inn. Uh, not my inn," she took a deep breath, "He wants me to help get this inn his company's purchasing off the ground."

Luke nodded slowly, focusing on salad preparations; Lorelai let out a relieved breath as she watched the tension leave his body.

"Where's it at? Not something close enough that would cause competition, I'm guessing."

"Near Granite Gorge in New Hampshire. Winter's their biggest tourist season what with the ski slopes and all. Not really something I know much about."

"Please," Luke snorted, "A small town centered around seasonal tourism? It's right up your alley."

Lorelai shrugged and took a big sip of her wine. She'd been thinking about it since her impromptu meeting that morning, and had held off on calling Luke, knowing he was in meetings most of the day. She didn't want to add any more anxiety than necessary knowing he'd been overwhelmed with the cafe as it was. Uncertain about how to proceed with the conversation, she was quiet as she watched her husband prepare dinner.

Her silence always unnerved Luke, especially after the events of two years ago when it went completely unacknowledged by him. Though she was less prone to bouts of chatter than she used to be, it was still rare for Lorelai to be this quiet. He didn't see why such the offer she'd received could be a bad thing, and thought it silly she wasn't more excited. Someone had noticed her talents and abilities, and she certainly deserved some recognition. After throwing a handful of carrots into his salad, Luke turned around completely, taking a long drink of his beer as he faced her.

"What are you thinking?" he asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

"I'm not sure it's a good time. We have a lot going on with the cafe, we just got through the holidays and moving in, we're still not fully done with the office. Plus, it's completely beyond anything I've done before-"

"No, opening your own inn was something you'd never done before," he leaned against the counter and folded his arms across his chest, "Lorelai, why are you talking yourself out of this? I think you're perfect for it."

"You're completely biased."

"As you should be."

"Why do you think this is a good idea?" she asked, setting her wine glass on the counter and mirroring Luke's pose. Before he could reply, she continued, "We just got everything settled, we've barely had a second to just sit around and be a married couple and do normal, married people stuff. Like... go ice fishing or something."

"Ice fishing?"

"You don't do that during the winter? With the little shack and stuff?"

"No, I've never- ugh," Luke interrupted himself with a shake of his head, refusing to be derailed, "Yeah, we have a lot going on, but we'd manage. You shouldn't just knock this entire proposal after only thinking about it for a few hours."

"Why do I feel like this is Mike Armstrong and the Durham Group again? Do you remember that? You told me to meet with the man, I met with the man, and then you freaked out that I met with the man."

"Completely different. One, that could've involved international travel, and I'd already been ditched once by a woman with travel aspirations."

"Oh, yes, because there are so many similarities between our relationship and your relationship with Rachel."

"And two, I was _planning_ our life together and _getting ready to propose._ "

"It wouldn't have mattered! Even if I'd taken him up on his consulting thing, it wouldn't have changed us or our plans."

Luke held his hands out, "And that's my point! You taking on this _new_ consulting thing, that already has specific details, and probably has a timeline if it's being bought by a company, is two and a half hours away, not an entire country away. I think it's worth considering."

"Then, since we're back to this again, what about kids?"

Luke stared at her, confused, and glanced at her empty wine glass, "Uh..."

Lorelai sighed heavily, "We're trying to start a family here, Luke, I just don't think it's the time to be taking on a massive project like that. You saw Sookie when we were in the final planning stages of the Dragonfly."

He was quiet for a moment, then shook his head, "Not the same. This isn't your inn. There's probably a nearly unlimited budget, and specific people paid to handle specific details, meet with delivery men, that sort of thing. Look, if you don't want to do it, that's one thing. But if you're at all interested, it might be worth considering. I'm just saying, keep an open mind."

He reached for a tomato and ran his finger across its smooth skin, thinking before he returned to chopping, "What stopped you last time with that Armstrong guy?"

"You, for one thing. It was really fun to think about, and I... one night I tried talking to Sookie about it. I wanted to really talk about it, just, you know, as friends, not coworkers. The good and the bad of it. But she is so damn distracted and self-absorbed when she's pregnant, she told me I should do it, and just as I was about to mention that I thought things with you might be..." she gestured toward her left hand, "You and I hadn't talked about getting married, but I know we were both thinking about it... I _wanted_ to have a real discussion about it with you, but you'd already freaked out on me once about it and, anyway, I guess it doesn't really matter, especially now."

"It _does_ matter. What made you turn him down, then, in the end?"

"Well, selling it was never really something I was going to do. The money would've been nice, but I love my inn. The consulting offer... I first told him I'd get back to him. And then everything happened with Rory. And the last thing I wanted was to have any kind of connection to an associate of my father's. Then, we were engaged, and I really just wanted to focus on building a life with you, not flit around the world helping people with their inns," she walked over and leaned against Luke's firm back, wrapping her arms around his waist, "And here we are again, a company's offering me a job I don't really need while you and I are building our life together."

"Hey, I'm not goin' anywhere."

Lorelai smiled softly and pressed a kiss between his shoulder blades before moving to refill her wine, "I know that. But maybe I don't want to go anywhere right now, either."

* * *

"Primaries are tiring," Rory yawned as she boarded the bus. "The material is great, but I'm just so tired. Tired of standing, of walking, of talking."

"I have a blister," Kyla pouted. "Bad time to be breaking in a new pair of shoes. But I won the back seat of the bus in a poker match with that Brendon guy, and I'm going to put my feet up on my bag until we hit Nevada." She walked to the back of the bus and collapsed in the aforementioned reporter's usual spot with a thud.

Rory took her own spot a few seats away and got as comfortable as possible, pulling out a notebook to begin her story. She grinned as Miles flopped down into his seat.

"Why are you so happy?" he asked with a frown as he rearranged a few items in his camera bag.

"I'm _sitting_. I'm sitting, and we are several states away from our next destination, with no major stops in between, which means a lot _more_ sitting, and I could really use some time to... not be standing."

"And you tease me for the days I wear my hiking boots."

Rory chuckled. One of the highlights of his brief stay in Stars Hollow had been the moment Miles noticed Luke's similar boots, and the two men had bonded over their versatility and comfort when standing for long hours at a time. Given the way her feet felt at the moment, she realized the two of them were clearly onto something.

"Well, maybe I'll pick a pair up in Nevada before the caucus," she replied. "God, I could so go for some of your hot chocolate right now."

"Mmm, me too," Miles replied, cracking his neck as he settled into his seat.

The bus began moving, and Rory had only managed to write a few paragraphs before her mind started drifting. She thought about the amount of primaries left in the year, and how quickly things were starting to pick up.

After that first big article, Blast had promised her guaranteed employment through the election. After her New Years article had followed suit and appeared on the New York Times website, and with it, yet another bonus, she'd had a few phone conversations with Hugo Gray. He'd begun dropping hints about her sticking around as their main political correspondent, a position that did not yet exist, but would likely need to by the time the election rolled around.

There was nothing concrete yet, which gave her a huge sense of relief, as it left her options open. She wasn't sure how she felt about such a polarizing position, or the idea of being holed up in Blast's office instead of being able to connect with the people about whom she was writing. She still had so many things she wanted to see and experience.

Rory had only been growing more introspective since the Iowa caucuses earlier in the month. She could still remember nervously, but determinedly, walking away from her mother at the airport, yet some days it seemed so long ago.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a wadded ball of paper hitting her head. She glared at Miles as she pulled an earbud from her ear.

"You stopped writing," he said, pointing out the obvious.

"And?"

"What's on your mind?"

Rory shrugged.

"Homesick already?" Miles pressed.

"No, not really," Rory replied. "Just thinking about all that's happened since the last time I was in some of these states. Iowa, specifically. I was so green."

"And since then, you've become old and seasoned?" he teased.

"No," she frowned, "Just... less green. I don't know. It's been a long seven months. In a good, developmental, thought provoking way. I've had a lot on my mind since the new year began."

"Thus, she is lost in her thoughts instead of writing about the New Hampshire primary."

Rory nodded, smiling a little as she leaned her head against her seat. Miles smiled back understandingly and left her alone.

Miles. She was trying very hard not to think about the moments they'd had at the concert. Or think too hard about how much she'd missed him over Christmas. Or the giddiness she'd felt when she found him at her front door. Or how disappointed she'd been when he hadn't shown up at the little gathering in Eric's room on New Year's Eve to ring in the new year.

Rory straightened her back and pushed all thoughts of the man with the overgrown hair from her mind. No sense getting attached to a coworker, especially one who'd been unsettled so recently, himself.

She returned to her notebook, re-reading what she'd already written as she determined how to continue her narrative.

* * *

After dinner, Luke sat next to Lorelai at her desk in their shared home office as she went over the information Paul Torres had provided. She showed him the notes she'd taken from their meeting and the details she'd added later.

"You've already done a lot of work for free," Luke pointed out as they went through her notes.

"This isn't exactly work for _them_. This is sorting out how much work would be involved, mostly for _me_."

Luke nodded, "When do they want to know by?"

"I have until sometime in late February to make a final decision. They want it ready to open by October, November at the latest so they can monopolize on the holidays, but my main involvement would be through spring. I'd kinda be on call for random things between then and autumn," she pointed to an item on her page of notes taken during her meeting, "This is what made me consider saying no."

"'Working locally as needed'? Well, that's understandable. That would be like me trying to handle this cafe crap without actually being here."

"Right. I'd probably need to spend a week or two up there at a time, otherwise I'd be dealing with a commute about five hours round trip every day, which sounds miserable," Lorelai looked over at him. The time away didn't seem to bother Luke nearly as much as it bothered her. She smirked and poked him in the ribs, "Admit it, you're thrilled to get me away so you can have the house to yourself, blast some baseball game..."

"No baseball till spring," he chuckled, grabbing her finger and covering it, and her hand, with his own. "It's not a forever thing. I can spare you."

"What about... um... trying to... y'know..." she gestured toward her lower half.

"We can plan it around that, can't we? Or I could escape cafe hell and tag along, take a few days off."

"I guess. We could also back off on the kid thing while we focus on the business things for awhile. Wait till we finish the cafe and this inn," she said, leaning her head on her free hand as she stared at all the paperwork covering her desk. She let her mind wander, trying to open her mind to the possibility a little more. She was lost in thought when she heard Luke gasp beside her. "What?"

"That... they want to pay you _that much_ for this?"

"Yeah. It's a lot."

"You could finally buy those stupid shoes you and Rory were ooh-ing and ahh-ing at while she was here for Christmas. Several. And still have some leftover for... I don't know. Something big."

"Several matching designer outfits? If that was your first thought, you've been spending _way_ too much time with me," she laughed, then quickly grew serious. "Actually, it seems only right that if I'm spending time away from my own inn for this, that I put it back towards the Dragonfly. Added to what we currently have put away, I could easily expand and still have plenty left over for some major touch-ups I've been putting off."

"That's smart," Luke squeezed the hand he was still holding, "I don't know, Lorelai, in the end it's your decision, but I don't think it's a terrible idea. And with Gabby's big promotion to full time... you have a lot less to do at the Dragonfly already."

Lorelai chose not to mention that it was done in preparation for a baby, not another inn. She took in Luke's body language and carefully watched his face for any signs that his words and feelings might not actually be in alignment.

He definitely appeared to be in favor of this new job, and she wasn't sure what that meant for her. She was still completely undecided, and still leaning heavily toward turning it down. The money was amazing, probably more than her time was worth, but the timing of it all still felt wrong.

She sighed and tightened her grip around Luke's hand, returning his squeeze, "I won't say no yet. I'll think about it and give him my answer at the last possible minute."

Luke nodded in agreement, asking a few more questions about the inn and the area before they called it a night.

As the days passed, Lorelai's inclination to say no hadn't changed, but her feelings toward the inn had. She was growing attached the ideas she'd started coming up with, but was still utterly conflicted about getting wrapped up in the process of it all. She knew, if this had come across her path a year ago, she would've jumped at the chance, but things were different now.

As February arrived, she felt completely torn between wanting to call Paul Torres and accept... and feeling like she should call and turn him down.

Luke remained supportive as ever, making sure Lorelai knew he was genuinely okay with either decision. But as he watched her excitedly discuss cafe plans in a few of the meetings she'd offered to help with, he wondered if she realized how ready she was for a new project of her own.

* * *

 _Author's Notes: In "How many Kropogs to Cape Cod", that conversation Lorelai has with Sookie when they're talking about selling or not selling the inn is something I obsess over. They both day-dream, and after Sookie grounds herself, she asks Lorelai what's stopping her and Lorelai never gets to elaborate, but her face says SO much. It's such a great moment._ _And it's part of the reason I might be the only person who doesn't find Lorelai's proposal two episodes later all that oddly timed. Both she and Luke were both clearly having more permanent thoughts about the relationship._

 _And much respect to Lauren Graham, because her ability to put Lorelai's thoughts and feelings all over her face and body language is amazing, and probably has a lot to do with why I love writing Lorelai so much._

 _Anyway. All that said... we now we explore a similar set of circumstances under very, very different conditions.  
I won't leave you hanging for long!_

 _MANY thanks to everyone for the support as I come close to wrapping this fic up. Today was a miserable day for several reasons, and I wasn't originally going to edit and post at all. But you guys gave me some unexpected encouragement as I read through some of the messages and comments, and after spending some time in my little version of Stars Hollow, refining words I wrote months ago, I'm so glad I ended up editing afterall. Creative outlets are good for the soul._


	39. Valentines are Blue

**Chapter 39: Valentines are Blue**

"Who was that?" Luke asked with a smirk as Cesar entered the diner, shoving his cell phone back into his pocket, "January? Or have you picked up February already?"

"Luke, my man, that was November," Cesar replied with a cheesy grin, brushing past Luke into the kitchen.

Luke raised his eyebrows. For years now, they'd referred to Cesar's endless dates by the month in which they'd first dated. As Cesar was rarely one to date the same woman for more than two months in a row, the naming mechanism had worked nicely.

"You mean November just couldn't get enough of you? Or November was around through December and January?"

"Still around," Cesar said as he grabbed the order ticket from Luke's fingers. "I don't know, Luke, I kinda like this one. And for some reason, she kinda likes me back."

"Kinda," Luke murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "Uh, Cesar, you're still good to work tomorrow right? Valentine's Day?"

Valentine's Day, Luke knew, was an awkward subject between him and Lorelai. Their last Valentine's Day as a couple had gone terribly. They'd spent the weekend in Martha's Vineyard, he was an ass, and on the actual Valentine's Day that week, Lorelai had called with a last minute emergency at the inn that, looking back, he now knew was likely as false as his occasional "need" to stay at his apartment for early deliveries had been.

Last year, he'd gone on like it was any other day, and everyone mostly avoided mentioning it to him. This year, however, no one was about to let him forget it.

When Sookie and Jackson had stopped by the diner for dinner with the kids, Sookie had heavily made reference to the holiday every single time he checked in with their table. So much so, that Davey had eyed his mother strangely, and told Luke that he guessed his mom really liked Valentine's Day.

Patty had been waxing poetic about holidays made just for newlyweds.

Kirk had offered to run the diner on Valentine's Day evening, as well as open the next morning.

Rory had texted multiple reminders about the date without elaborating.

But far worse was his own daughter calling to list several ideas Lorelai would appreciate that would not give greeting card companies a boost in sales. She'd also sent a text reminding him in which cupboard Lorelai had stored the candles. Nothing says failure more than your teenage daughter schooling you on how to be romantic.

Lorelai, on the other hand, had made no mention of the upcoming holiday at all; she, instead, attempted to avoid looking at or otherwise acknowledging any of the decorations covering Stars Hollow. She ignored any mentions of Valentine's Day when she was around him, and artfully dodged the subject whenever a well-meaning townsperson brought it up.

Little did any of them know, Luke had made damn sure their Valentine's Day plans were finalized a solid month in advance, his gift purchased shortly after the new year.

Cesar looked up with a slight pout, "My lady is traveling this week. I'll be here that night, and John's opening the next morning." He pointed at Luke, "You better not screw this up, man, that piece of metal around your finger means you're required to treat her right this year."

Luke rolled his eyes, "One year. One year I screw up, and no one will let it drop."

"It was a pretty big one, though. All my Februaries have been nothing but smiles. And me and November? We are definitely making up for her being gone when she gets back."

"Thanks, I don't want to know," Luke grumbled, and reached for the ringing diner phone, "Luke's."

"Luke, hey, it's Gabby, is Lorelai there?"

Luke frowned, "Uh, no. Didn't you two have some kind of meeting today?"

"Yeah. I'm sure it's no big deal. I mean, it wasn't a huge meeting, we were just going to touch base on a few things, but it's not really like her to just not show up, and Sookie started panicking when I asked her, and told me to call you."

"Huh," Luke grunted. "Did you call-"

"Called the house phone and her cell. Cell is going straight to voicemail."

Luke's forehead creased in a deep frown as he began to worry. Lorelai never turned her phone off, not when it might mean missing an impromptu call or text from Rory. He surveyed the diner. The lunch rush had waned to a small trickle, and he'd planned on leaving before the dinner rush anyway.

"I'm heading home in a few minutes, I'll be in touch."

"I'm sure it's nothing," Gabby said soothingly, hearing the slight panic in Luke's voice, "I know she said she was feeling a little weird a few days ago, maybe that sinus infection came back."

"Yeah, maybe," Luke rubbed his neck. He said goodbye to his wife's employee and turned to let Cesar know he was heading out a bit early. As he pulled into the driveway of his house, he took a relieved breath as he saw her jeep parked in its usual spot. He noted the tracks over the previous night's snowfall, indicating she had, at some point, left the house.

He opened the front door and smiled as Paul Anka came bolting down the stairs, pausing at the bottom to woof quietly at Luke.

"Hey, bud," he said quietly, patting the dog on the head before following him up the stairs.

Luke paused in the open doorway to their bedroom as he found his wife laying in bed, all identifiable parts of Lorelai burrowed beneath a blanket except for a few inches of hair sticking out the top. He stared at the brown curls for a moment, thinking. He knew she wasn't sick. She'd been her typical buoyant self the last few days, nothing out of the ordinary. She wasn't missing Rory, they'd had a snark-filled chat just the night before.

There was one the thing that, every month since the wedding, made Lorelai slightly upset for the first day or two. The monthly sign that they were, once again, not going to begin decorating the empty bedroom. After an evening of snuggling on the couch, quiet conversation, reassurances, and copious amounts of chocolate, she'd be back to her usual self. But she'd never missed work, had never been devastated enough to hide in bed at two in the afternoon, and most importantly, he knew it was still a bit too early in the month for that anyway.

Of course, her doctor had warned her that hormones from birth control pills could take awhile to get out of her system, but he'd thought they were well past that timeframe. Luke knew very little of hormones and the female reproductive system, though, and decided not to rule anything out as a possibility.

Curious, he walked into the bathroom, checked under the sink, and found her box of tampons untouched from the previous month. He glanced down at the counter and noticed a few hairs he'd missed when cleaning up after shaving that morning, and brushed them into a piece of tissue. As his hand hovered over the trash can, he looked down and found his answer.

"Aw, man, Lorelai," Luke whispered quietly as he pulled a negative pregnancy test from the receptacle, finding a second one beneath it.

He rubbed his forehead as he leaned heavily against the counter. They'd agreed, over and over again, that they weren't going to stress over this, and yet it had felt like they'd done nothing but. Lorelai was still against involving science, or even asking Liz about natural options to increase their chances, and Luke was beginning to wonder if he should just ignore her protests and investigate both avenues himself.

He threw one of the tests back into the trash and walked over to the bed. After divesting himself of his shoes and flannel, he pulled back the comforter and crawled into bed, spooning up against his wife. He pulled the blanket down slightly to press his lips to the back of her neck. The cool air and his warm kiss caused her to stir, and he knew she was awake when she squeezed the arm he'd draped around her waist.

"Home early?" Lorelai mumbled sleepily as she rolled over to face him.

"Gabby called," Luke explained succinctly, watching her face carefully.

"Shit," she replied, her eyes squeezing shut as she pressed her hand to her forehead, realizing she'd missed their meeting.

His heart hurt as he saw the dried tear tracks marring her face, and propped himself up on his elbow. "I'll call her in a bit, but I want to talk to you first." Luke slid the plastic wand into her free hand.

Lorelai bit her lip as she looked down at the pregnancy test in her hand. She stared at the hateful negative symbol in the display, and spoke quietly, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. What happened?"

Lorelai sat up and stared at Luke, wondering where to start. She'd felt... off. It wasn't exactly a feeling she could explain, and she wasn't sure what it was at first. When the feeling didn't go away over the last few days, and she'd found herself genuinely enjoying an apple with her lunch, she thought she knew. She thought it was a sign. And unlike every other month since October, she actually drove a good forty minutes to a different county, bought a few tests, and went straight home.

Whatever reason she'd felt off had nothing to do with being pregnant. And after four tests came up negative, Lorelai had grabbed every apple from Luke's bowl of fruit in the kitchen and hurled them, one at a time, across their three acres with enough strength that Luke would've made a comment about pitching for the Red Sox had he been there. Anger released, she was left with nothing more than sadness, and almost managed to hold back the tears until she reached her bed.

Lorelai recounted her day to Luke quietly, his hand tightening around hers as she spoke. When she stopped talking, she looked up at him to find his eyes shut tightly, a frown darkening his face.

"What... are you thinking?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm wondering why you agreed that we wouldn't worry about this when every month since we got married, you've been worrying about it. And if you're going to keep worrying about it, why we don't just... talk to someone about what more we could be doing to make this work."

"Because," Lorelai said with frustration as she sat up. "It's not supposed to be like this! I agreed because I didn't think we'd need even a month. I thought it was a non-issue!" Her expression turned from frustration to anger, and she punched her pillow with considerable force. "And as stupid as it sounds, I hate that you have something with Anna that you and I can't have! And we can both bring kids into this world without wanting to, under bad circumstances, but as grown adults, with a car and a room, clothes and a crib _waiting_ , we have nothing!"

Luke took a deep breath, uncertain how to even begin to reply to that.

"And the thing is," Lorelai continued, her anger giving way to sadness again, "Before all of this, I decided we should really talk about putting a hold on trying to get pregnant for awhile because you have the cafe happening and that's keeping you super busy, and I think I want to take Paul Torres up on his offer to consult on that inn," Lorelai brushed an angry tear from her face, "But then this came up and I... I thought, this was more important, and I let myself get carried away, and I should've known better. I should have _known_."

"You couldn't have known, Lorelai," Luke replied with a strained voice. He tucked her hair behind her ear and stroked her cheek with his thumb as he thought about what she said. "Would it really be easier for you if we just gave up entirely for awhile and focused on other things?"

"Maybe. I know we weren't supposed to even be focusing on this, but I don't know how not to. And every time I think I've gotten past thinking about it, someone says something, and it draws me right back in. I even get it from complete strangers now. This guest at the inn - she'd been there before, back when we were first dating, and noticed my wedding ring. After congratulating me, her very next question was asking if we had any kids yet."

"Geez," Luke groaned, dropping his face into his hand. "This is worse than everyone bugging me about setting a wedding date when we were first engaged. The comments are sometimes borderline obscene on my end. Why the hell do people have to over-involve themselves like this? It's one thing when it's Stars Hollow quirkiness, but nosing your way into someone's... this stuff... it's fucked up."

Lorelai's mouth quirked up slightly at his strong choice of words. She knew he'd been dealing with it, too, after overhearing a particularly lewd comment about his inability to knock up his wife as she'd been walking downstairs after checking on the most recent changes to the cafe's construction.

"Would waiting be okay for you?" Lorelai asked. "This isn't just my decision, if you want to keep trying, we can, and-"

"No, this doesn't eat at me the same way it does you. I admit, I would've expected, after this," he gestured to the test, "You'd want to go talk to a doctor or something, but if you want to put it on hold for a few more months, or however long, well, I'm not the one who'd be carrying a baby, so yeah, I'm okay with it."

"But you've wanted this since August."

Luke shrugged, "I am where I want to be, Lorelai. Here, with you, planning our future together. I have no complaints. If the near future needs to involve working on that inn and finishing the cafe, that's what it is."

She nodded, thinking about it for a few minutes. "I'll go back on the pill as soon as I can get an appointment with Dr. Grant."

"You don't look happy about this."

"I'm... not. I'm just... dealing with it the only way that makes sense to me right now," Lorelai shrugged her shoulders slightly.

"Okay, then," Luke whispered, pulling her into his arms. He felt her take a shuddering breath, holding him a little more tightly. "I'll call Gabby and let her know you'll reschedule that meeting. Tell her you came down with a bug or something and you were worried about the sinus infection coming back."

She nodded, "Um, tell her next week we'll talk. I don't think I'm up for going in tomorrow night or Friday. You know, I had this idea of showing up at the diner with a stupid Valentine's Day card to piss you off, and then I'd hand you the damn... pregnancy test while you were mid-rant about funding greeting card companies and destroying trees."

Luke chuckled, then pulled her away from him to look at her face, "Wait, you were going to work tomorrow night?"

"You're not into Valentine's Day, Luke, it's okay," she smiled slightly and squeezed his hand, "Got the man, the anniversary's the big romantic day for me now. I can deal."

"Yeah, you got that because we're married. I don't want to just deal. This is a holiday, you like holidays, and this one's to celebrate love or whatever, and we..." Luke sighed, "I made reservations, and... I had a plan."

Lorelai's face fell, "Oh, Luke," she bit her lip, and tried to garner some enthusiasm, "We can still go out, if you-"

"I'll cancel it. I'll make something here."

"I'm so sorry. I just... I want to sulk for another day or two, and then just put all of this behind us for a few months."

Luke squeezed her arm before standing, "I know. I understand. One of these days, we'll do this holiday up right. Might have to bring in fireworks or take you bungee jumping or something insane to make up for it by then, but I'll make it up to you somehow."

"I love you," Lorelai replied with a small, appreciative smile, laying back down.

"I'm gonna call Gabby back and run a few errands for tomorrow. You gonna sleep for a bit more?"

Lorelai shook her head, "No, I just want to lay here for a few more minutes, then take a hot shower."

"Okay. Uh, and if you at all anticipate making me watch chick flicks all day tomorrow without complaint, you may want to consider letting me watch something slightly less cavity-inducing tonight," he held up his hand, "Just an idea."

Lorelai laughed for the first time all day, "I'll take that under advisement."

He nodded and left the room and she rolled onto her back, still smiling. Despite the overwhelming sadness of the last several hours, she couldn't help but feel grateful for Luke and his willingness to understand what she'd been going through.

She smoothed her shirt over her stomach and sighed as she looked down, addressing the unseen organs and passageways that had the power to make or break her plans for the future.

"Okay, look. I know you're out of practice. It's been over twenty-three years since you realized you could create a life. And you didn't realize you could, so it was a pretty exciting time for you, I'm sure. We've been comfortable alone here the last twenty-three years, but I need you on my team, now. I'm gonna give you a break for a bit so you can think about it, but after I get that inn on its way, and Luke's cafe is up and running, it's time to get busy."

* * *

Rory crunched on a conversation heart in thought as she finished up the final edits to her latest article.

"You actually eat those?" Miles wrinkled his nose as he dropped down in the seat next to her in their hotel's business center.

"I actually eat those," Rory replied, saving her file and sending it to her editor, "You can have the green ones though, those ones taste like chalk."

"Such a ringing endorsement, but I think I'll pass," Miles flipped over a few of the candy hearts to read their sayings while he waited for Rory to finish packing up, "I want to talk to you about something."

Rory paused and looked over at him. His expression was a little nervous, causing her to frown as she tried to determine what he might want to talk about. "Okay... do you want to talk here, or..."

"Uh, maybe somewhere... less busy," he glanced over at a few nearby reporters making use of the small business center as well.

Rory nodded, zipping her bag shut and sweeping her candy back into its box. "Um, there's a deserted lobby area on the fifth floor that no one's ever in. I used it to write in earlier, but there's no internet, which is why I came down here. That work?"

Miles nodded and followed her to the elevator. The ride up was quiet and slightly awkward. After the door's opened, Rory selected a set of two cozy chairs facing each other near the glowing fireplace and sat down. He'd been silent the entire elevator ride, and his lack of easy conversation was making her nervous.

"What's going on?"

"Well. My contract was for six months. It's coming up, and I have a few options. I'm not sure what I want to do yet, so I nee- I wanted to ask you... what you thought," Miles said nervously, toying with the wrinkles on the knee of his jeans.

"Doesn't Hugo want you back?" Rory asked, frowning.

"He does. But, um, he also... there's... a few other opportunities, too," Miles looked up and caught Rory's gaze, maintaining eye contact as he spoke, "Rory, we work really well together, and I hate the idea of you getting stuck with some crappy replacement."

Rory swallowed hard, staring into his eyes intensely, "You're leaving."

"I haven't made up my mind yet," Miles shook his head, "I didn't even get this latest offer until an hour ago, and I was so confused, I stood outside in negative ten degree weather to try and clear my head. I have no idea what I want to do."

"It's a big decision."

"Yeah."

Rory nodded, leaning forward with her elbows resting on her knees, her eyes following patterns on the carpet.

As his coworker, she'd been lucky. She'd found someone to work with who, even when they were arguing, they still had an easy energy between them, and were able to help walk each other through various mental blocks, ending up with greater inspiration than they'd begun with. The thought of losing that, and having to try and recreate that with someone else over the next several months was daunting.

As his friend, she knew she should be supportive. She knew what it had taken for Miles to get to a point where he could be inspired enough to shoot more than a presidential candidate working through his campaign.

"How many options are we talking, here?"

"Five. Iceland, Alaska, New Zealand..." Miles hesitated, and Rory glanced up, waiting for him to continue.

She noticed he seemed nervous about the next two options, "Okay, so those are the three you're considering the least... what's the other two?"

"The, um, well... I have a bit of war photography experience. Enough, I guess, that, uh, there's a big opening... it would be for an indeterminate amount of time in the middle east."

Rory nodded, her heart in her throat. War, in its current state, was not kind to writers or photographers. As glamorous as the idea had been growing up, recent events, and the increasing number of journalists who'd lost their lives in war had made the idea seem unappealing to her as she aged. She would write about it, but not from a battleground.

"You said five," she replied, clearing her throat.

"Renewing my contract with Blast and sticking around until November."

Rory huffed, "Hardly appealing in comparison to the other four."

"Not true. The pay's shit, but Blast is flexible, and I've gotten to be a little more creative, getting more photojournalism stuff up there that wasn't part of this originally," Miles took a deep breath, "I worry that... I know I have it good. And leaving prematurely could be... construed as... not seeing a project through. Maybe it's better to stick around through the elections."

Rory was silent, thinking back to every conversation between the two of them, every news item they'd discussed, and the photos he'd obsessed over from other publications. He'd changed a lot over the last six months. He started as someone who was hesitant to talk about himself, and had since become willing to share even the things he was inspired by. And he'd grown increasingly interested in major world events, passionate about the coverage it was receiving, explaining how he'd do some things differently and why.

She understood the feeling. And where he wanted to go shouldn't even be a question at this point in his career. The answer was obvious. He was young, experienced, talented, fearless, and willing to work. He was everything they'd look for as a photographer in a war torn country, and the job was everything he should be looking for given his background.

"How is this even a question? Why are you asking me this when you already know the answer?" Rory asked, glancing up at him.

"I don't know the answer."

"Why are you asking me?" Rory repeated firmly.

The silence was thick as Miles stared at his hands. Rory watched him, bracing herself for a movement or response. Several minutes passed, and Rory wondered if _he_ even knew why he was asking.

As she was about to leave him to his thoughts, he stood and walked a few steps to the fireplace, gazing at it. She watched his profile, his conflicted emotions set aglow by the flickering light of the fireplace.

"I wouldn't even be in a mental state to consider other work if it weren't for this. For everything you... for... for everything the last six months."

Rory's heart thudded in her chest, her own internal conflict making her nervous. There was a line. They'd toed it, she knew. A few times. There were moments. Countless late nights and deep talks. The hot chocolate. The concert. But both of them had been through long, heart-breaking relationships that ended unexpectedly within the past year. Both had jobs that were sending them everywhere. And Scott had said himself, the work comes first.

"I've told you about Logan. I told you he wanted me to move to California with him. Start a life with him there. Plan a wedding. If I'd said yes, I'd be there. Either working for or trying to find work at a local paper. He didn't want long distance, so I would have been rooted to wherever he was. That's not what I want. That's not what I've ever wanted. It's not what you want, either. And I would never ask that of anyone, especially someone whose work I respect."

When he didn't respond, she pushed herself off the chair and stood behind him for a moment, staring at the back of his head, "Whether you stay or you go, that decision isn't up to a coworker you only met six months ago."

With that, Rory walked back to the room's entrance, pressed the down button, and listened to the cables creak as the elevator was summoned back to the fifth floor.

"It's more than that, and you know it," Miles replied, still facing the fireplace, his voice echoing through the large, quiet room as the doors closed in front of Rory.

She kicked the wall of the elevator as it descended.

* * *

Lorelai stopped the movie as the credits rolled, smiling at Luke's sleeping face on the pillow next to her, illuminated by the warm gleam of several candles and the dying embers in the fireplace. She leaned over to kiss his cheek gently before rolling out of bed, grabbing the flannel she'd had on earlier that had wound up on the floor during the second movie of the night.

As she started blowing out the candles, she heard her phone vibrating on her nightstand and reached for it, wondering who would be calling at nearly midnight. Rory. Odd, considering both the time and the holiday. She quickly grabbed the phone, suddenly worried.

"Hello?"

"Mom? Are you okay?"

"Am I okay? You called me," Lorelai whispered, sliding her feet into her slippers. After locating her robe, she quietly shut the bedroom doors behind her and sat on a chair in one of the cozy alcoves, gazing out at the dark night.

"You sounded panicked."

"My adult daughter calls me at midnight on Valentine's Day, I reserve the right to sound panicked."

"Oh. Valentine's Day. Crap," Rory grimaced, falling back against her pillows, "Just call me tomorr-"

"No, it's fine, Luke's out. I was just getting ready for bed, myself. Is everything okay?"

Rory dropped her arm over her face, relieved she hadn't interrupted anything, mortified knowing she could have, "How was your Valentine's Day?"

"Um, salvaged, I guess you could say," Lorelai replied.

"Salvaged?! Now what did he do?"

"Hey, be nice, he's the one that salvaged it. He made plans a month ago, and um..." Lorelai paused, biting her lip. Conception - or not, as it turned out - was a topic she'd gone to great lengths to avoid. It was awkward with anyone, but especially with Rory, "We stayed home instead, Luke cooked an amazing dinner and dessert, and then we camped out and watched movies."

"Why'd you stay in? April and I have been harassing him for weeks to make sure to do something."

"I had a really crappy day yesterday, and didn't feel like going out."

As Rory began to ask for more details, Lorelai knew avoidance was fruitless, and rushed through her explanation, "I thought I was pregnant and I'm not, and it hit me harder than it should have. I didn't want to do much."

"Oh, Mom, I'm sorry." Rory replied sadly.

"It's fine. But I assume you didn't call to talk about this, so…"

"No, I… it seems completely stupid now, in comparison to what you're going through."

"Non-issue because I _really_ don't want to talk about it anyway, so tell me why you called."

"Okay, okay. Miles is leaving. His contract was for six months, and it's up, and he's going," Rory said quickly, much the same way her mother had shared her own woes.

Lorelai raised her eyebrows, surprised. "Really. He's not renewing it? I'd think hanging in there until the end of the election would be an exciting opportunity."

"He's not lacking in opportunities. You forget he has years of experience with this stuff. This entire job was a chance to recharge his batteries, so to speak. They're charged, he's been offered a few jobs, but when it comes down to it, he'll take the war photographer one. The other ones aren't even worth his time. He said middle east, so my bet's on Iraq."

"Wow," Lorelai breathed, "And you're worried."

"That will come later, I'm sure. For now, I'm… not really sure what I'm feeling. I felt like he was asking me to ask him to stay."

"What did you say?" Lorelai's eyes widened, thinking back to Luke and Nicole's cruise, and a subsequent marriage that nearly drove her mad with emotions she didn't know how to deal with. She could only begin to imagine how Rory was feeling right now.

"I told him I wouldn't, that I couldn't do that. As, as his friend-"

"Rory," Lorelai interrupted, having made that very same mistake before, "The man drove to your house during your Christmas break to make you hot chocolate. You spend more time with him than anyone else, and not just because of work. Correct me if I'm wrong, but there has been insinuation there was something between Luke and I for years before it was mutually acted upon. Are you really trying to tell me, and worse, yourself, that he was asking as a friend?"

"Yes," Rory admitted guiltily, "And it doesn't matter, because it wouldn't change anything. And we've only been friends for six months, it's not like… it's not as if this is a ten year friendship, it's not you and Luke."

"Six months, nearly eighteen hours a day aside from your trips home. I only spent that much time with Luke on our honeymoon." When Rory didn't reply, Lorelai smirked, "If you're sitting there trying to do the math, I can just tell you that's a lot of time to spend with one person."

"I know," Rory whispered, picking at her rough hotel blanket. "I can't ask him to stay just because we work really well together, because I look forward to his nosy questions, or because it feels weird to think about doing this now without having him around. I'd be livid if someone asked me to stay. Hell, I already answered a similar question once, eight months ago, when Logan asked me to move to California with him. I would never ask him to do what I wouldn't do for someone else."

Lorelai was quiet, thinking of Rory's situation. It had been evident to her, and Luke, that there was something between Miles and Rory during his visit. As to whether or not that should be pursued was a question only Miles and Rory could answer. She knew from experience that no amount of suggesting an obvious attraction was enough to push someone toward another person. Sookie had tried to urge Lorelai for years, and despite moments filled with unfulfilled hints and suggestions, nothing had happened with Luke until they were both at just the right point in time to pursue it.

Things were a little bit more intense with Miles and Rory, however. Rory was right, the two of them weren't she and Luke at all. Rory and Miles had only known each other for six months with a lot of those days spent with the understanding that their time together on this assignment was temporary. Lorelai may not understand wanting to bounce around untethered as their jobs demanded, but she did understand that - untethered or not - human connections were still important.

"I know you want to respect the nature of your jobs, hon, but did you ever consider, at the very least, giving him your blessing to take the job in the middle east? If the news is anything to go by… he's not exactly headed into welcoming arms if he takes it. And if what you said about his family not being terribly involved in his life is true, having your support might be important."

Rory breathed in sharply, "I'm a horrible, selfish person. I didn't even stop to consider..." she groaned, kicking at the sheet that was tucked a little too tight. "Damn it. I still wish he would've said… but then, I guess he did, and I didn't... " Rory dropped her head into the hand not holding her phone and groaned.

Lorelai waited for Rory to sort through her fragmented thoughts, wondering exactly what had transpired between her daughter and her friend over the course of the evening. After a few minutes of silence, Lorelai gave up on waiting.

"Rory, what happened, exactly?"

"I demoted us to coworkers, and he called me out on it. Said we were more than that, and I knew it. And I didn't know what to say, and then the elevator doors shut, and I beat up the elevator," Rory explained, morosely. "I have to talk to him tomorrow. Early. Before bus call."

"We always fight the good ones," Lorelai mused quietly.

"Except Dean that first time," Rory replied. "And you did fight Dad for years, and he's not one of the good-"

"He's not a bad person, Rory."

"No, he's not. Just... not good for you. Not your good one," Rory thought back to what her mom had said earlier in their conversation, "Um, Mom, are you... okay? Is Luke okay?"

"Yeah," she replied, her voice quiet, "I'm calling Paul Torres next week to accept that consulting job, and Luke's barely been home between the diner and meetings for the cafe, so we're... gonna hold off for awhile."

"Are you sure that's what you really want? That's a big job to take on just because you're reacting to-"

"I'd been thinking about it already. Before any of this. It's not a knee-jerk reaction at all. Being pregnant would have... it would have changed things, but... anyway, this was in the works before I got distracted by... well, by nothing."

"If you say so."

"I say so. And I can show you the notes in my notebook about the consulting gig from the last few weeks if you have any doubts _and_ you can ask Luke. I mentioned it the first time we talked about the job offer. Anyway, you didn't call me at midnight because you're worried about how Miles feels about your reaction. How are you taking his news?"

"I'm sad, but..."

"Rory," Lorelai chided, her tone heavy.

"I..." Rory squeezed her eyes shut and dropped her head back into her hand. "I can't, Mom. I can't think about a day watching movies in Stars Hollow and homemade hot chocolate. If I think about how many times an argument over work turned into an entire day of sharing childhood stories and talking about life... or an evening spent digging through old photo albums on our computers... I'll _want_ to ask him to stay. And I can't. And you're completely right, I think he was definitely looking for my blessing, my support. I can't give him that if I think too hard about how it affects me."

"Okay," Lorelai relented.

"I'll let you go. Thanks for listening."

"Any time. Call me if you... well... just let me know how it goes."

"I will," Rory swallowed, thinking of her schedule over the next few days, "It may be a few days before I have time, but I'll let you know as soon as I have the chance to talk."

"Hang in there, kid."

"I'll be okay. You too."

Lorelai stared out the window, phone still in hand long after Rory had hung up. She felt relieved Rory had long since lost interest in reporting about wars from the places they were occurring, then worried knowing her daughter had grown so strongly attached to someone who was. She let herself worry about Rory and Miles both for a bit longer before returning to bed, molding herself around Luke's warm body as she nodded off.


	40. Letting Go

**Chapter 40: Letting Go**

Rory took a deep breath as she waited for the barista to hand her the second cup of coffee she'd ordered. After a long night thinking about everything Miles had said, everything her mother had said, and everything she was feeling, she knew what she had to do. She adjusted her bag and grabbed both cups of coffee from the counter as she walked toward the elevator.

Stacking the cups precariously and holding them in one hand, she knocked on Miles' hotel room door and waited, holding her breath.

"Yeah?"

"It's me. Uh, Rory."

"Isn't bus call at nine?"

"Yes. This isn't a 'you're late, lazyass' visit, this is an 'I'm sorry I'm an ass' visit."

She heard the lock disengage and smiled as the door opened to reveal Miles' head.

"Continue," he said, his tone teasing, his face wary.

"Not in the hallway. Let me in," Rory lifted one of the cups of coffee. "Come on, I know you want want this. There are two cheese danishes in my bag, too."

"Both for me?"

"If that's what it takes," she replied, holding his gaze.

Miles nodded and pulled the door open, gesturing her inside. She placed the coffee on the table and sat in one of the chairs as she pulled the danishes out of her bag.

"One's good," Miles said as he sat across from her.

Rory handed him a danish and waited while he took a bite and a few sips of coffee before speaking.

"I'm sorry for last night. I was completely unfair, unsupportive, and unhelpful," Rory admitted, picking at her danish, "Is it Iraq?"

Miles nodded, "To start. It could change, but that's where I'd be headed first."

"Are you ready for that?"

"Can you ever really be ready for that? There are stories that want to be told. I think I could be the right person to tell them," Miles looked at Rory pleadingly, "I can't just... I don't want to make the wrong choice, though. I know it's dangerous, I haven't seen anything that intense in my life. I can tag along with a few other more experienced photographers, but a lot of times, it'll just be me and a translator."

Rory nodded, "I decided years ago that reporting from the thick of battle was... not at all what I wanted to be doing, so I understand your reservations. But... the world needs people like you out there."

"You really feel that way?"

"Mostly," she bit her lip, "I'm going to miss you like crazy."

"I haven't made up my mind yet."

"Miles," Rory said softly, but firmly, "I don't want to pretend things are any different than what they are."

"How far does that go?"

She met his eyes and regarded him seriously. His expression was equally solemn.

"Why did you ask me?" she asked in response, repeating the same question from last night, challenging him to see just how far _he_ was willing to take it.

"You know why."

"Then tell me what you think I know," Rory was quiet while she waited for a response. He dropped his gaze and, once again, failed to answer. She tried a different approach, "What would you have done if I'd asked you to stay?"

Even as she said it, Rory still knew she would never ask it of anyone, especially someone whose work she considered as important as her own. And she also knew, no matter what was happening between her and Miles, there was an understanding about that between the two of them.

Dean had supported her endeavors, but she wondered if he ever really would have been able to deal with her perpetual absence. He was willing to accept her for who she was in Stars Hollow, but not who her grandparents were, or her connection to the university she was so proud to be a part of. He'd have never been able to accept her career; he'd always see it as her choosing that over him, much the same way he'd failed to understand her the night they broke up.

Jess had so disregarded her desires that he'd tried to talk her into running off to New York City with him right after her freshman year at Yale. While a friend now, he had not been a particularly supportive boyfriend, focused far more on the anger he held onto from childhood than anything or anyone else.

Logan had similarly ignored what she wanted from her career. While she might have been open to spending a short period of time at a local newspaper, her time interning for Mitchum had taught her that she could get too comfortable too easily, and she never again wanted to lose sight of her deepest desires. Logan needed someone who'd support him, that he could lean on, not someone with her own plans. Shira had been right from their first meeting.

Rory smiled to herself, realizing she was truly over Logan, and wondered when that had happened - likely sometime after she'd fully accepted that he wanted things from her that she was both unwilling and unable to give. For the first time, she felt genuinely hopeful he'd be able to find someone who'd follow his unsettled career whims, and could easily fall into step with the pretentious Huntzberger family. And for herself...

... it struck her, then, that she'd just been comparing Miles to her previous boyfriends, and as she was in the process of actually admitting this to herself, Miles began speaking again, interrupting her thoughts.

"I knew you'd tell me if giving up Iraq was the wrong decision."

Rory reared back, "You were _not_ going to stay."

"It's more tempting than you realize. I'm happy for the first time in years, I'm proud of the work I've done, but only because I'm proud of how we've worked together. I can't even imagine what we'd be capable of in November," Miles bumped her hand with his danish, "It was your article that was responsible for the budget that gave me a position, is it at all surprising you're also responsible for making me want to stay?"

"I don't want to make you stay. I told you that last night, and my opinion still stands. You have things to do away from here."

"I have a lot I want here, too. Not... just within the realm of work."

Her eyes widened as he stared at her, his insinuation unavoidably clear. And she felt herself letting go...

...Of her role as reporter and his as photographer.

She knew where the line was before their lips touched, and couldn't remember why it was there in the first place as he reached for her.

His kisses, she quickly discovered, were not unlike his personality. They were careful and tentative at first, giving way to full-blown passion as he grew comfortable. After several minutes, they pulled back, out of breath and reeling with the acknowledgement of everything that had been growing between them. Rory was the first to speak.

"You can't stay."

"I know."

"You won't lose me by going."

Miles dropped his head and took a deep breath, "I'll get a two week break in May. If you can swing a few days off, I'm visiting. And if you can't, I'm still visiting and I'll watch you write."

"When do you leave?"

He shrugged, "Hugo said he'd extend my contract a little longer as needed, or cut me loose early. So I need to find out when the start date would be. I don't want to waste time with much of a break between the two jobs. And I was serious last night, I don't want to leave you hanging, I want time to make sure they get you a good replacement."

Rory finally let her lungs fill with air, and she nodded, lifting her coffee. "Congratulations on the new job."

"Rory-"

"Shh. We're celebrating. I don't want to say goodbye yet."

They touched their coffee cups together and let the topic of conversation drift to more lighthearted topics, each holding the other's hand as they talked.

Over the following week, Rory and Miles refused to speak of his upcoming departure, choosing instead to focus on work and each other. The trend was only broken when Miles let Rory know Hugo had sent him the portfolios and resumes of the photographers he was considering. They sat in his room going through them, and eventually narrowed it down to two.

Rory was sitting at her computer, typing as Miles awoke from the bed behind her. As she heard him shifting, she pointed to the cheap coffee maker a few feet away without looking up.

She paused briefly in the middle of typing a sentence and mumbled, "Whipped out the Luke stuff."

"Luke stuff?" he asked.

"I wouldn't normally be sharing it, but..." she smirked as she watched him looking for his pajama pants, "I figured we could use a solid start this morning."

"Ah, the step-dad's famous blend," Miles smiled appreciatively as he got partially dressed and poured a cup into one of the chipped, cheap mugs. "Thank you for sharing."

Rory grinned, then tapped on the resume sitting on the desk, "I think I want this one."

"Alex?" Miles asked as he leaned over, "Solid choice."

"I like that you've worked together and I feel like, looking at the most recent stuff he's done, we'd be able to come up with something closer to what you and I do."

Miles nodded and picked up his phone to call Hugo.

Another week passed, and Alex Carter arrived to spend Miles' remaining few days working with Miles and Rory, learning the ropes and seeing how the two of them worked together. Rory liked him right away, and was relieved the quality of the work she was used to wouldn't decline... too much.

It wasn't long before the day she and Miles had avoided talking about was imminent.

Rory fought back a shudder as she waited for him in the lobby of their hotel. While she'd be getting on the bus the next morning, Miles would be leaving for the airport. Recalling being slightly hungover the morning Logan had left for England, she decided she'd keep Miles all to herself her last night with him. Eric had thrown a going away party the previous night with Alex and the rest of their friends.

She spotted Miles walking toward her, photography equipment slung over his back, a grocery bag in hand.

"What's this?"

"Provisions."

"Provisions?" Rory glanced down at the bag he carried, "Wine?"

"Cheater," he murmured, shoving her slightly.

"What else is in there?"

"Wait until we get to the room."

"Oh, about that," Rory grinned, pulling a key out of her pocket, "Top floor please, sir."

Miles raised his eyebrows as he hit the button for the tenth floor, "You got us a suite?"

"Complete with a view, jacuzzi tub, and the nicest damn bed in the whole hotel."

"Don't you have work to do?"

"Are you kidding? What do you think I've been doing while you're sawing logs every morning?" she teased, then looked up at him seriously, "No work tonight. Just you and me."

"Rory," he whispered, "You gonna make me cry already?"

She shook her head and kissed him softly.

* * *

Lorelai yawned as she ascended the steps to the Dragonfly. Tired and grumpy though she was, she had a massive to-do list after her latest week in New Hampshire. The first week had been a little easier than she'd expected as Luke had driven up to join her for a few days.

Her most recent week had not only lacked Luke, they'd had an argument over something so absurdly stupid before she left, she couldn't even remember the reason. Several things had gone wrong at the inn after that, from contractors showing up late or not showing up at all, to the inn requiring unexpected repairs, pushing back a few deadlines.

To further worsen her week, when Lorelai was finally able to leave for her drive home, she'd encountered unexpected roadwork, and a trip she'd managed to expertly turn into a two hour drive with clever shortcuts became a three and a half hour yawn-fest.

Worst of all, however, was her discovery upon arriving home that the husband she'd so desperately missed had forgotten to pick up the very necessary contraceptive devices she'd underlined thrice on the shopping list she'd left him.

That had caused another argument to transpire.

Luke's perspective had been that there were ways around it, and one night being a little extra careful wasn't a big deal; she'd finally have time to swing by to pick up her pill prescription later in the week, anyway.

Lorelai's counterargument was simply that the last several weeks without having to think about getting pregnant had been a huge relief, and she wasn't ready to think about it again. And knowing what one night of good intentions could mean, she didn't want to spend the next few weeks getting her hopes up needlessly.

Thus, rather than indulge in other ways of reuniting with one another, they'd slept with their backs to each other, barely touching until the sun had risen the next morning. Though they'd apologized after waking, and Luke had promised he would not come home from the diner without replacement prophylactics, Lorelai was still frustrated by the entire ordeal on top of everything from the past week.

Not ready to deal with Michel, Lorelai made a beeline straight to the kitchen to visit with Sookie as she tried to shake off her grumpy mood.

"Welcome back!" Sookie grinned, squeezing her friend tightly. "I have celebratory cake stashed away for later. You were missed!"

"I heard," Lorelai replied, headed toward the coffee. "At least the worst of it was your area this time."

"Ugh, you should have seen the mess! I mean, it wasn't even Caleb's fault. The guest just pushed his chair back way too far, at precisely the wrong moment, and boom! Down goes Caleb and the tray of desserts the Mancinis had ordered. The last of the mocha mousse, too, so I had to send someone out to pick up a regular chocolate mousse from Westin's. Not even close to the same."

"No, definitely not," Lorelai agreed. "God, I could use some of that right now."

"Rough week, huh?"

"The roughest, and..." she paused. She'd never mentioned to Sookie that she and Luke had decided to put off trying for a baby, and now didn't seem like the best of times to bring it up. "I don't know. This inn? The Holt? It's been so fun to be in the thick of things again, but at the same time, I'm just really glad _our_ inn is done. Between The Holt and Luke's cafe... I'm just ready to-"

"Go back to Hawaii?" Sookie replied morosely, still envious of her friend's honeymoon.

"Jesus, Sookie, you really need to drag Jackson away, at least for a long weekend."

"Well, I can't right now, with Manny's broken foot. I'm here more than I'm at home!" Sookie put her towel down, "Anyway. I have to meet with our new cheese supplier now that Val's retiring."

Lorelai pouted, "Lunch tomorrow?"

"I have Martha's ballet performance, but-"

"I'll join you. We'll have lunch after, and Jackson can take Martha."

"It's a plan," Sookie beamed as she removed her chef jacket, retrieved her purse, and left.

Lorelai stood there for a few more minutes, trying to listen to the conversation coming from the doorway. She grinned upon hearing Michel's tone as he worked hard to avoid sounding condescending while dealing with a few high maintenance guests at the front desk.

If there was one good thing that had come from meeting Paul Torres, it was finally seeing Michel make a legitimate effort to develop customer service skills.

* * *

Lorelai shifted Theo from one hip to the other, watching Sookie carefully twist Martha's hair into a bun. She smiled as Martha sat perfectly still, reminding her so much of Rory during her short-lived attempt at ballet. She'd seen so many other little girls anxious to have the tight bun finished so they could run off with their friends, but Rory wanted the bun to look perfect and was content to wait until Lorelai had it flawlessly twisted and pinned. Martha appeared to be the same way.

"There we go, pumpkin," Sookie smiled as she sprayed a final thick mist of hairspray. Martha bounced up excitedly and ran to Patty for approval. Lorelai and Sookie giggled as Patty indulged the little girl's vanity and gasped overdramatically at how beautiful she and her fellow ballerinas looked.

"Want me to take him?" Sookie offered, nodding to her youngest.

Theo leaned his head onto Lorelai's shoulder contentedly and Lorelai shook her head, "I've got him."

"Nothing yet, huh?" Sookie asked.

"No... which... might be a good thing, actually," Lorelai replied as she and Sookie made their way to the seats they'd saved in Patty's dance studio, "We decided to wait a bit until the cafe is further along, and I'm finished with this consulting thing. But I'm starting to wonder if... maybe we missed that boat. And... I'm not as bothered by it as I thought I would be."

"But Luke's dream, and the house..."

Lorelai shrugged, letting Theo stand on her knees as she held his hands, "We have contingency plans for the house. It's big, but it's not too big. Especially once April's back in the area and spending more time there. She could take one of the bigger bedrooms instead, if she wanted."

"What does Luke think about this missing the boat thing?" Sookie frowned, watching her friend handle her son adorably, and finding it unbelievable any minds had been changed.

"We both decided waiting a few more months might be a good idea, and that's been the case for weeks now, but... we haven't talked about it being permanent yet. I have a doctor's appointment next week to get a new pill prescription, and I'll get some brochures and whatever for more permanent options. Either for me or Luke, and then we can go over everything then."

"Permanent?! Are you sure this isn't just because you're upset that nothing's happened yet? I mean, I know you downplayed it, but you took three days off work, Lorelai."

Lorelai closed her eyes, trying not to think about the false alarm almost two months ago, "Sookie, I know the timing seems weird, but honestly, not having to think about it has been a weight off my shoulders. Yes, I would love a child with Luke. But god, we didn't even get into the temperature taking and fertility testing and shots and all that, and it was hard enough without all of that added pressure."

" _That_ added pressure is actually helping, though," Sookie pointed out the obvious. She waved to Jackson as he approached with Davey and gestured to the seats next to her. "Look, Lorelai, just give yourself awhile before you talk to Dr. Grant about that. Go on the pill, let yourself off the hook for a bit, but make sure you and Luke talk long and hard about permanent decisions. Because the little man you're holding is pretty damn special to me, and as hard as it's been sometimes, I'm really glad he's here. Three's a good number for us, and I think I would've eventually wanted a third one anyway, which would've meant a reversal, and- anyway, just think about it first, huh?"

Lorelai nodded, kissing the top of Theo's head gently, her thoughts and feelings endlessly battling with one another. When she thought about it, she could see it just being her and Luke, and she knew she could be content with that. When she wasn't letting her head lead the way, and her heart intervened, she knew how badly she wanted to raise a child with Luke, to see him hold their baby outside Doose's as she ran in for movie night provisions, and watch him experience all the things he'd missed with April.

But she wasn't sure how much they could take to try for that, and while it was still early, having to start jumping through those hoops eventually was a very real possibility.

And she'd never been one for participating in circus acts, literally or figuratively.

* * *

Rory jumped as her phone buzzed in her pocket, startling her awake. She saw Alex's name on the display. Unlike Miles, Alex was excessively courteous. Despite taking Miles' seat, he never disturbed her. If he needed something and she was engrossed in writing, or taking a nap, he'd always text; when there was no cell service, he'd apologize profusely before getting to the point. Some days, she found herself actually missing Miles' abrupt manner.

She pulled the blue Royals hat off her head, and glanced across the aisle, smiling. "What's up, Alex?"

He passed his laptop across the aisle, gesturing to the photos. It was the old game she'd played with Miles, where he'd narrowed his photos down to a handful of very different shots to see which matched best with her article, and he'd submit several similar ones to the editors.

Campaigning was at an all-time high as they were mere weeks away from the Pennsylvania primary, and less than four months away from the Democratic National Convention. There was much to write about as the Barack Obama was now head to head with Hillary Clinton.

Rory had to admit, even she, herself, had been torn between the two due to a long-standing admiration for Clinton. She'd waited until the last possible minute to finish her Connecticut absentee ballot, eventually sticking with the candidate for whom she'd been writing the last several months, whose speeches and politics she'd grown to know so well.

"So," Alex began after he and Rory finished their photo selections, "You mentioned the other day you were from a small town in Connecticut?"

"Yeah, Stars Hollow, it's-" Rory stopped and cocked her head at the surprised smile on Alex's face. "What?"

"How small a town is this place? You're the second person I've met who's from there."

"The second?"

"Yeah, when I was in Vietnam, I ended up getting to know this really talented photographer there. She was working on a photo book on the long-term effects of the war. Really inspiring woman. She's based out of Australia. Perth, I think. She'd spend two weeks on the road, fly home for a month or two to be with her husband and little girl, then fly back out. We bonded a lot over the difficulties of traveling and maintaining a healthy relationship."

Rory could only think of one person she knew of from Stars Hollow that fit that description, and once again, found it absurd how small the world could be. "Rachel... uh... I can't remember her last name."

"Yeah! Rachel Hadley. Not sure if that's her married name or what. You remind me of her a little. Did you know her?"

Rory couldn't hold back a laugh, "Uh, yeah. She's my step-dad's ex-girlfriend."

"No way! Talk about a small town!" Alex laughed, "I can't wait to tell Nick!"

Nick was Alex's partner of ten years. The two had met their freshman year of college and had been together ever since. Rory had come to realize that Alex spent the majority of his free time keeping in touch with Nick who adored his partner's stories from the road, but appreciated his own day job back in Chicago as an IT manager. They'd been a good example that a long distance thing could, in fact, work as long as both people were dedicated to working at it.

"Did Nick get to meet her, too?"

"Yeah, he spent a week with me out there, and Rachel's old laptop gave into the extreme humidity and crapped out. Nick helped her pull her data off and restore it to the new one, which took forever, so we all spent a lot of time together."

"Amazing," Rory whispered. She'd always held a certain appreciation for Rachel when she was young, imagining herself in Rachel's shoes, but with a pen and paper instead of a camera.

"I still keep in touch with her a few times a year, or if we need to bounce some professional opinions off each other. I could tell her you said hello, if you'd like."

Rory wrinkled her nose, "I think it might be a little weird. She kinda left Stars Hollow the last time because she realized, uh, the guy she was in love with was in love with my mom."

"So that's the relationship she refers to as the one that got away... wow. Well, at least that all worked out. She and David are precious. Been married, I think... six years now? And Shannon, their daughter, turns two this year. Nicky's got this idea of a Red Sox cheerleader uniform for her birthday, and I don't have the heart to tell him there are no cheerleaders in baseball, and Rachel would probably rather have her in a Red Sox baseball uniform anyway."

Rory chuckled slightly, and counted the years in her head. Rachel must have met her husband shortly after leaving Stars Hollow and married him within a year later. Of course, Rachel would leave Luke and tell him to follow his heart, and end up beating him to the punch. She wondered what Rachel would think if she knew Luke had not only taken a few more years to even ask her mother out, but the relationship had gone up in flames twice before he'd actually married the woman.

She decided she'd omit this story from her phone call to her mother. Hearing that Rachel had not only managed to get married years ago, but had a kid during one of the worst times in Lorelai's life might not be the wisest thing to discuss at the moment. She knew the topic of getting pregnant had become a little sensitive for her mother, as Rory had seemingly been blackballed from any discussion about it.

Still, she was really glad to hear Rachel had found everything she'd been looking for. No matter how crazy she'd made Lorelai, she had a lot to do with the Dragonfly, and she'd never been anything but extremely nice, even when she must have suspected some kind of connection between Luke and another woman.

"You have to tell me about this pre-Australia Rachel," Alex continued, leaning forward, excited to be connected to some potential dramatic occurrence. "This whole love triangle thing is so intriguing. You must have hated her."

"I didn't! And it wasn't even close to a love triangle. Luke was in denial, my mom was in denial, and poor Rachel had no idea Luke had moved on while she was away, but had barely even acknowledged that. He didn't even make a move on my mom till years later, and they only just got married in October."

Alex shook his head, "God, relationships can get so freaking complicated. We really lucked out, didn't we?"

Rory looked confused for a moment, then dropped her gaze to the floor of the bus. Relationship. Nothing had ever really been formalized with Miles, and it wasn't something that even crossed her mind to discuss in their recent emails. They had a relationship, that was certain. The seriousness of it, though...

She toyed with the hat in her hands uncertainly. Miles had promised he wouldn't make her cry as they went their separate ways, and he'd done the exact opposite. He'd slid his hat onto her head after one last kiss, letting her know it was good to hide behind when times were tough. Since then, she'd done exactly that, occasionally wearing it in her room as well when she needed to feel him near her.

There must be some genetic predisposition to boys with blue hats, she'd decided.

Alex cringed as he saw Rory's reaction. "I'm sorry, did I misspeak?"

"No, I mean... I don't think so. It's just... new and I'm not sure... we didn't really... haven't..." Rory hesitated, "It is, actually, a little complicated."

"Well, it shouldn't be, you two were pretty inseparable before he left, and I was only here to see a few days of that." He pointed to the cap she'd removed, "Plus, he gave you his hat before he left for a _desert_. If that's not the most loving gesture I've ever seen in my life, I don't know what is. It would've only been more nauseating if he'd left you a lock of his precious hair."

Rory snorted, and Alex grinned at her reaction. He wasn't Miles, but he was certainly becoming a good friend, always ready with a bit of lighthearted humor when she needed it.

She reached for her laptop and typed up an email to send when they hit the next stop.

 _Hey Miles, when you were telling your translator about me, in what way did you refer to me? Just curious. - Rory._

Hours later, after she checked into her hotel, Rory beamed as she saw the reply. He'd often go days before he could access the internet again, so a response at all was a pretty big deal.

 _Uh, I think I said, "My girlfriend, Rory"? Why, what have you been calling me?! "My pest, Miles"? BTW, will be out of touch for a few weeks as of tomorrow. Don't worry, you'll be too busy anyway. And then we need to schedule a phone date. Miss you, give Alex my love!_

* * *

"So, you've changed your mind, then?" Dr. Grant asked Lorelai from across her desk. "Because if you were concerned about not getting pregnant yet, it hasn't been that long, but we can talk about-"

Lorelai sighed, "It's not that. Or not _just_ that. The timing is just... never right, I think it might be a good idea to consider our future without children being a part of it. I mean, we both had one, at least, right? We're both officially parents, we don't need to be parents together."

"If that's what you want," the doctor shrugged, "Lorelai, I don't have an opinion here, I'm just trying to sort out what we're looking at, and what your plans are. You don't seem like someone who's dead set enough on not having kids to warrant a major surgery for you, or approaching Luke about a vasectomy."

Lorelai bit her lip and glanced at the floor. Deep down, she knew she was trying to make the decision before time could take it from them on its own... allow them to take matters into their own hands without years of intrusive doctor visits and countless heartbreaks. Though she knew their relationship could handle it, she didn't want to put either of them through that. Making their own pre-emptive decision seemed a more positive direction.

Sensing her patient was still waffling, Dr. Grant continued, "If all the forces in the universe aligned tomorrow to ensure you'd be able to get pregnant, would you take the universe up on it?"

"Yes." Lorelai answered without hesitation.

"Honey, I'm going to need all those brochures back." Dr. Grant smirked, "Lorelai, you're unsure, and I get that, but it's too soon to give up. I have seen so many couples try for years without needing any kind of medical intervention. If it's bothering you, I can get Luke a referral to get checked out-"

Lorelai shook her head, "I know it's early, but... I think it's smart if Luke and I pursue _all_ our options, not just the expected ones. I don't want to wait years. We barely have that as it is."

Dr. Grant sighed, but nodded understandingly as she stood to answer the knock at her office door. While she certainly understood that perspective, she also knew the patient with whom she was speaking. Lorelai was not the type to give up something easily, and this line of thinking seemed absurd given the conversations they'd had only months before. A nurse handed her a few papers and she cocked her head, flipping through them as she returned to her desk.

"Should we just get on with the exam then? I do want to at least get that pill prescription, but I wouldn't mind checking one more time to make sure things are still, um, usable, I guess, so I know what we're looking at and I can lay it all out on the table for Luke," Lorelai frowned nervously as she watched her doctor flipping through her chart, "What?"

"Uh, well. We'll definitely do an exam, but not for that," Dr. Grant handed Lorelai the pages of test results from her earlier urine test, "Congratulations, Lorelai, you're pregnant."

* * *

 _Author's Notes: I know most of you have been waiting for that news. Thank you for hanging in there for 39 chapters._

 _And, yes, I felt Rachel deserved a little resolution too. I always liked her, just... not for Luke. ;)_

 _As for some replies to the previous chapter, quick PSA for ya. BC pills aren't quite as big of a deal as most seem to think. Hit up Google for progestin-only birth control, or the minipill. Very common prescription for those of us in our thirties. Plus you don't have to wait awhile for it to get out of your system if you decide you want to stop taking it and have kids. I also didn't preclude using condoms, but did establish earlier on Lorelai tends to be a fan of multiple forms of birth control. Anyway! I just wanted to address that since there was a lot of concern over Lorelai's comment about going back on the pill. :)_

 _I apologize for the delay in getting this up (again, blah!). It's hard to focus on editing when your brain's fried from a busy work day (been dealing with more OT than I'd like) and your elected representative is, y'know, actually representing you and taking a stand on things you're passionate about. Eyeballs and brain have been immersed in all the crazy things going on outside the lovely, but fictional world of Stars Hollow. Tonight, though, I desperately needed the escape. Grabbed a bottle of wine and happily prepared this chapter for posting._

 _See you all in the final chapter/epilogue (AHHH!)!_


	41. Lucky Number Seven

**Chapter 41: Lucky Number Seven**

Luke ran his towel over the counter just as he had almost every day for his entire adult life.

It had seemed like any normal Sunday.

Kirk had spent ten minutes unable to make up his mind about his breakfast choice.

Luke had scolded a teenager for using her cell phone in the diner, he'd argued with Taylor, pretended not to hear Patty and Babette's latest gossip exchange, and grumbled at Cesar for whistling too loudly.

But it wasn't just any normal day.

Today, Luke had finally found something Lorelai had been joking about happening for years.

There, in the middle of the counter in his diner, was a worn spot.

He shouldn't have been surprised. It wasn't marble, granite, or stainless steel, just an old, laminate countertop that shouldn't have lasted nearly as long as it had. He must have thought about replacing it several times over the last few years, and it had certainly crossed his mind immediately following both breakups with Lorelai.

And now, on this very ordinary day, the counter was finally showing its first signs of excessive wear. He knew Lorelai would tease him that it was his constant wiping that had caused it, but he couldn't help but notice that the spot was mere inches above the place where Kirk usually sat.

Just like any other day in Stars Hollow, Luke's musings in the middle of his afternoon lull in his empty diner were interrupted by the arrival of his wife. As he usually would, Luke took in her body language and facial expression to seek a hint as to her demeanor. Most days, she would either bear a smile, because she was happy to see him, or a frown of irritation over some inn-related annoyance.

Today, her expression was blank.

It was a rare occurrence, and one that never failed to make him worry.

Luke immediately reached for her usual mug and filled it with coffee as she took the stool in front of him. He leaned forward for his usual hello kiss, and was mildly offended when she seemed so distracted, she'd barely seemed to noticed who she was kissing. Tempted though he was to assume it was something he'd done, he pushed aside his increasing insecurities to watch her even more closely.

After taking a sip of coffee, Lorelai glanced down at the mug, her blank look changing to one of concern.

"Something wrong with the coffee?" Luke asked, his anxiety growing. It was from a new shipment, and so far he hadn't had any complaints, but if there was something different about it, Lorelai would be the one to notice.

"No, no... the coffee is... your coffee," she looked up with a slight shrug, her gaze moving from the brown liquid to Luke's face. "You know, I dreamt once that you kept trying to hide the coffee from me."

"Yeah, you've told me. But I remember Sookie growling at me that she was allowed a small cup of the stuff while she was pregnant with Theo last year, and I asked April about it, and she confirmed, so it turns out the guy in your dream meant well, but wasn't educated on the subject. The guy in front of you now happens to have learned a thing or two."

"Oh," Lorelai replied with a nod, and took a larger sip. She'd been wondering if the caffeine intake was going to become a discussion. Perhaps it would not be as bad as she was expecting.

"You know, you still drink too much of it even for a normal person. I know better than to ask how many you've already had today."

Lorelai looked back at her mug thoughtfully, and pushed it a few inches away. Or perhaps they'd come to a compromise. She frowned, annoyed at having lost the perfect moment to tell Luke about his impending fatherhood.

"So, I got a lot done during this last trip to New Hampshire," she said, attempting a new line of conversation, hopefully one with better results.

Luke nodded as he turned to clean out the toaster, another banal, routine action of his, he noted to himself. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. I probably don't need to go back up there again until June, but when I do, I should probably go for a week and a half or so. And that will probably be the last one I do in person. I should probably plan another one, but I don't really know if I want to."

"I know you've felt bad spending less time at the Dragonfly, but it sounds like Gabby's doing a killer job, and oddly enough, Michel is too."

"I agree," Lorelai stuck her finger in the coffee and let the drop fall onto her tongue as she mused, "It's funny how things happen so unexpectedly like that."

"Unexpected? I think it's past time you had some higher expectations for the guy," Luke grumbled as he wiped the back counter free of toast crumbs.

"Yeah... it's weird, though, how you can totally plan for something, but then you start planning something else, and that first thing ends up popping up unexpectedly, after you thought you were ready to head in a different direction," she paused, tapping her finger mindlessly on her mug. "It's not always so bad."

Luke turned around to face her, growing confused with the conversation, "Are we still talking about Michel?"

Lorelai shrugged, "We could be. Or not. Just, um... how do you feel about that kind of thing these days?"

He dropped the towel in front of her and scratched his head, unsure where she was headed with her questioning. "Uh, I guess... it doesn't really bother me as much anymore. I mean, look at us. I was planning on taking April on a summer trip on the boat, and was determined to live out my life through my kid. And you were gonna go on a road trip with Rory visiting amusement parks. And both of those fell through, but we ended up getting back together and spending all our free time together all summer, and I think that worked out really nicely," he grinned at her as the last several months played through his mind.

"Good. I like when you're feeling, y'know... positive... about things."

"Hey, I've gotten better."

"You have. And it's been nice. Don't get me wrong, I _love_ my grumpy diner guy, but happy husband guy is pretty great, too."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," he chuckled.

Lorelai drummed her fingers on her thigh anxiously, annoyed by herself. She'd wanted a more spectacular moment for this announcement and she wasn't able to make it happen.

She thought back to the last few days and sighed heavily, "I'm sorry about our argument the other day."

"It's no big deal, Lorelai, we both already apologized, and I got an economy sized box. We're good on all levels of the argument."

"Well, you can shove 'em toward the back of the bathroom cabinet again. I had my appointment today."

"Ah, right. I'd forgotten. So we're-"

"Pregnant."

Luke's hand paused over the towel he'd been reaching for. He was about to wipe down the front counter again. He knew it didn't really need it, but he couldn't help himself, it was part of the regular routine, part of what he did on any normal day in the diner.

Except it wasn't any normal day in the diner.

There was a weird brown wear spot on his countertop, and Lorelai was pregnant. Lorelai. His friend. His favorite customer. His wife. Who he'd just argued with over condoms.

His actual response was only a tiny sampling of the jumbled thoughts in his mind, "You... we... I thought..."

"Well, it was either on or near Valentine's Day, based on Dr. Grant's guess."

"But you... since then... didn't you... uh, last month..."

"I didn't. And I didn't notice. We had a lot going on, and I was kinda thrown off bouncing between here and New Hampshire. And since we thought we were on hold, I wasn't really... paying much attention to... any of that," Lorelai grew nervous as Luke still didn't seem to have a specific emotion to hang onto other than complete shock.

"How... how did you find out?"

"Well, it's standard to take a pregnancy test before prescribing someone birth control pills, and you know, even without that, the exam would've revealed some things..."

"Right," Luke breathed, brushing his hand over his face, "You didn't get a... the thing... sonogram?"

"Not yet, no... we'll schedule that... something you probably will want to be there for." Lorelai's brow creased slightly, "I assume. I mean, I know we-"

"Of course I want to be there! Why wouldn't I want to be there?!"

"Well!" Lorelai glared at him, "You're not exactly excited about it!"

"Yes, I am!" Luke shouted, offended she'd think otherwise. It finally occurred to him that the shock he'd been reeling from hadn't exactly come off as joyful. As a corner of his mouth turned up, he saw a smile spread across her face.

"You are?"

He chose to answer by rushing around the counter and kissing her.

As the reality of the circumstances began to settle into his stubborn mind, he completely forgot about the spot on the countertop.

It was certainly no ordinary Sunday.

* * *

Rory wrinkled her nose as she read through the sappy letter she was writing. For someone who spent more time writing than she did talking lately, she wasn't sure why it felt so foreign to be putting so much emotion into the written word.

Tempted to scrap the page, she sighed and shut her notebook, leaning back into her chair with a groan. She missed Miles, and couldn't help but question the logic behind starting a relationship with someone so far away who was frequently out of touch. She wondered how women did it back before the days of Skype and camera phones and emails, when they would write their drafted army men, even knowing they might not receive the message for months.

Maybe it was a good exercise in patience.

Patience, however, was not a Gilmore trait.

She recalled hearing about the many weeks of phone calls between her mother and Luke when they'd first started dating, and wondered how she'd coped. Not that she wanted to really think about it, but unlike her and Miles, her mother and Luke had only kissed and had barely discussed their burgeoning relationship during those calls. She wondered what was worse, knowing what you were missing, or simply wondering.

Curious to seek her mother's perspective, Rory reached for her phone, surprised to find a messaged picture awaiting her. She opened it and gasped. She didn't need to see the blurry text up close to know what it was.

A tiny red Thing 3 sleeper.

She immediately selected the option to call the sender.

"Hel-"

"Mom! Is that what I think it is?"

"I don't know, what do you think it is?"

"Either you're gonna dress up a puppy, or I'm done being censored."

"Censored?" Lorelai asked, confused.

"Mom, you can be so... ugh! Are you pregnant?!"

"Wow, every time I have been asked that in my life, someone's been angry about it."

"Are you going to answer, or-"

"I am," she replied softly. "About seven weeks."

"Seven," Rory gasped, "Mom."

"I know. Valentine's Day. It's so cliché, but we weren't really..."

"I remember," Rory said, still surprised by the news, "Wow. I guess Allen Saunders was right. Life really is what happens to you while you're making other plans."

"I thought that was John Lennon?"

"A common misconception."

"Well, conception is the key word here, so let's make sure Mr. Saunders is properly credited," Lorelai joked.

"How are you feeling? When did you find out?" Rory asked, suddenly eager to be home. It was there again, that feeling of things happening back in Stars hollow that she couldn't be a part of. Her heart was torn in a million directions lately.

"Just the other day. And I feel fine, I've had zero symptoms so far. I went in for, well, a pill prescription and information on more permanent options, and..."

"More permanent options?!"

"I may have had myself convinced that giving up on this was the right decision," Lorelai said quietly, "Rory, this has been weird, and I know I haven't wanted to talk about it-"

"I know. Hence the censorship."

"Ah, that's what you meant... yeah, I guess. But it sucked, and some days, it was really bad. And after a few weeks of not having to think about it, I was relieved. I thought, maybe, it might be worth considering. Take matters into our own hands."

"That's dumb, there's a million things out there, fertility doctors, science has gotten-"

"Rory, I don't want to... well, it's irrelevant now."

"I guess so," Rory smirked, "So when's the due date?"

"November sixth."

"Another little Danes Scorpio," Rory mused. "Mom, I'm so happy for you. How's Luke?"

"Well," Lorelai giggled, "He's still a little in shock. We're not telling anyone for another month if we can help it, so we're trying not to think about it _too_ much. He's been spending a bunch of time wood-working, and, uh, apparently Paul Anka is willing to go on runs with him now, the little traitor."

Rory smiled, and listened as her mother recounted the full story of finding out about the pregnancy, as well as telling Luke.

"I wish I was there," Rory said wistfully. "I... nothing feels right here anymore."

"You miss Miles."

"I do. So much more than I thought I would. That's what I was actually going to call about before I saw the picture you sent. When you were first dating Luke... all those weeks he was in Maine. Even as friends, you hadn't really spent that long apart, except for our Europe trip. Was it hard?"

Lorelai thought for a moment before replying, "You know, the inn kept me pretty busy. I was pulling fourteen hour days most of the time, sometimes more. Even when I was home, I was working. With both of you gone, I wasn't entirely sure what else to do with myself, anyway," she thought back, "It was a weird time. But we talked almost every night... it was nice, in a way. And... also, frustrating."

"Yes, frustrating." Rory replied emphatically, with a strong nod of her head.

Lorelai laughed, "Rory, why are you asking about me and Luke? The situations are so different."

Rory sighed, "That's why. I was trying to determine if it's better to do what you guys did, stay friends and kind of talk a lot over the phone, or if well... I don't know, do you wish you'd slept with Luke before he left?"

"Uh, when would I have squeezed that in? You were the one-"

"Ahhh!" Rory shouted, wrinkling her nose at the awkward memory, "Please, let's not revisit that! It's a general question. Circumstances aside, is it harder to know what you're missing out on, or better to live in ignorance?"

"Well circumstances kind of dictated..." Lorelai shook her head. The truth was, she had very little doubt where the night might have gone if not for Kirk, and then later, Rory's little surprise that night. She rubbed her chin. "I think I might have ditched the inn and driven up to Maine if we had. And that wouldn't have been a particularly wise decision. It was probably a very good time to be single-minded. The inn and I had each other and, in many ways, we both needed each other. It worked out. Are you questioning sleeping with Miles?"

"I just wonder if just staying friends with a possibility for more, instead of running full steam ahead might have made me less... sad."

Lorelai frowned, "I'm sorry you're sad, you're not regretting the relationship, or-"

"No! No, not regretting, I just miss him. Those last few weeks were... amazing..." Rory shut her eyes tightly. "It's hard. I won't hear from him again, at all, for a few weeks. And it's weird. Remember when Logan was in England and that sucked? This... this is worse. So much worse. But it's so fast, you don't think I'm rushing this, do you?"

"You can't ask me that, Rory. Every relationship is different," Lorelai looked up as Luke walked in from the garage, sliding a small, wooden creature onto the table in front of her. She leaned forward and looked closely a tiny, fully formed version of Gilbert, the goat from the chuppah, sitting on the coffee table and beamed up at Luke, "Even different relationships with the same person are different."

"Did Luke just walk in?" Rory grinned wryly.

"Yeah, he brought me Gilbert Junior," she slid the phone away from her mouth slightly, "Can you make a horse?"

"A horse?"

"Gilbert Junior needs a horse friend, don't you think?"

Luke rolled his eyes as he walked away, "Yes, I'll make a horse friend for Gilbert Junior."

"Sorry," Lorelai said into the phone, her fingers caressing the smooth wood of the animal. "Looks like baby's first toys will be wooden animals. Anyway. Look, things were pretty intense between you guys for awhile. You were with each other almost all day, ever day, for six straight months before he left. And then for the last few weeks, it's probably safe to say, you spent all day, every day together. I think it would be weird if you _weren't_ missing him."

"I guess it would. And, maybe this is right. Neither of us are giving up our careers, here, so this is... gonna be business as usual for us. Just takes some getting used to. Just like the rest of the campaign."

"I'm sorry, kid, I can't even imagine."

"I certainly never could have," Rory sunk down in her chair, feeling the need to sulk, when a sudden realization hit her, "Two days after the election."

"What?"

"Your due date. You said November sixth. That's two days after the election. I'll be home around then no matter what plans I make for the future," she sat up straight, grinning. "I figured, if you and Luke had a kid, I'd be gone for it. No matter what happens, I'll at least be home for that. April, too. So you just need to make sure you don't go into labor early," Rory's brow creased, "Mom, you there?"

"Yeah. I just realized, though... you'll miss everything else. You know Luke's not gonna indulge in weird food cravings with me."

"Well, maybe that's better for my health," Rory joked, but frowned when it didn't receive the intended response. "Any free time during the year-"

"Would be best spent trying to meet up with Miles somewhere." Lorelai replied, smiling sadly, knowing these were the inevitabilities they'd been working on accepting over the past several months.

Rory dropped her head into her hands, feeling torn again. "I'll figure it out, Mom. Even if Miles and I have to hang out in Stars Hollow just so I can make fun of how big you are, we'll work something out. I will see you before the baby's born, and I _will_ be there when it gets here. Not _in_ _there_ , but... you know."

Rory changed the subject, asking more about the wooden animals and Luke's growing excitement over his future offspring.

After hanging up, she opened her notebook and finished writing the letter to Miles, adding in her mother and Luke's news before signing it. She shoved it in an envelope, wrote the address Miles had given her on it, and added a stamp. She'd drop it off at the hotel's front desk to be mailed before the bus left later that night. As she dropped her chin on her hand, staring at the picture of the little "Thing 3" onesie, she heard a knock on her door.

"Who is it?"

"Me," Kyla's muffled voice replied through the door. "Open up."

Rory rolled her eyes and walked over to the door, opening it. "What?"

"Girls night out. Change." Kyla pushed past Rory and threw open her luggage, grabbing a random shirt and a blazer, "Keep your jeans on, change the top half," she sat on the bed, "I'll wait."

"I'm not really-"

"I don't care. I'm tired of you moping. You're the one who's supposed to arrange things and I've been filling in for you, and I suck at it. You got your pretty photographer, which, let me remind you, I had a thing for first, and yeah, he's not here, but y'know what? He wasn't here early on, either. You have more than you started with. You have your career, you found a decent guy who has one, who also understands yours. I'd kill for that. Anyway, we haven't had a _decent_ night out since Miles left and I'm over it!" Exasperated, she threw Rory's clothes on the bed, "Go! Change!"

Rory grabbed the clothes Kyla had picked out and headed toward the bathroom, thinking about what she'd said. It was true, what she'd pointed out about Rory's relationship with Miles. And, with any luck, it would still be the case in November. She smiled at herself in the mirror.

And she'd see Miles in May. May 22nd, he'd said. It wasn't so far away; she was already halfway there. Seven weeks to go.

* * *

"Well, if you wanted to get out of Friday night dinner, a simple phone call would have worked just as well," Emily chided, eyeing her daughter.

Lorelai shrugged with a small grin, "Thought this might be a little more dramatic."

She looked at the group sitting nearby. Rory sat in the chair closest to her, and April was seated next to her, still in the school uniform she'd been wearing earlier that day. Richard sat next to April, while Emily had yet to leave her daughter's side. Luke stood nearby, trying not to seem like he was hovering, but clearly eager to get the small bundle in Rory's arms back in his possession.

"Plus, we had an agreement," Rory said as she adjusted the baby carefully. "You had to wait until your oldest sister got home so she wouldn't miss out, didn't you, little guy?"

"Yes, make Mommy suffer an extra day so Thing One could get home and settled in first," Lorelai frowned and looked up at Luke, "They're ganging up on me already and he's only a few hours old."

Luke smiled at her briefly before gazing back at Rory. Had it only been hours ago that he'd held his son for the first time? Already, he couldn't imagine life without him.

"We should probably go home, get some sleep for a bit," Richard announced, standing. "Let me say goodbye to my grandson before we go."

Rory passed her little brother over to their grandfather and Luke couldn't help but ache at the sight. He hadn't been prepared for the feeling of loss that would overwhelm him as he realized his own father would never hold his grandson. He had a new understanding as to why his sister so frequently compared Jess and Doula to her grandparents.

"Good night, Ryan William," Emily whispered as Richard handed him over. She nuzzled the baby once more before returning him to Luke.

Luke barely noticed Richard and Emily congratulate him one final time before they left, entranced as he was by his son sleeping in his arms. He glanced up to look at April and Rory before gazing back down at Ryan.

There was something fascinating to him to have half of Lorelai sitting across from him, half of himself next to her, and half of both he and Lorelai in his arms. He couldn't help but wonder if some of the post-birth hormones Lorelai had coursing through her body had somehow become airborne. Luke was not supposed to be the emotional one in the group.

"Not so bad, is it?" Rory whispered to April with a smile.

"Nah," April smiled back. The envious feelings she'd had a year ago when she'd first watched her father with Theo Belleville had long since faded. She was a little more comfortable with her own circumstances now, having finally worked toward forgiving her mother, and letting go of everything she'd missed out on with her father. Over Christmas, he'd told her about the promise he and Lorelai had made to not dwell on the past, and he'd asked her to think about that and consider trying to do the same.

She shared the idea with her mother when she returned home, and the two of them finally began moving forward, after so many painful arguments over the last few years. As an added bonus, she noticed it eased a little of the tension among her mother, father, and step-mother as well.

Lorelai let out a contented sigh as Luke finally handed her son back to her. Things had been so different with Rory. She'd still been in a drug-induced haze when her parents were finally let in to meet Rory, and she remembered trying to pretend she was asleep through most of it. This time, she'd avoided all but the most mild painkillers, terrified of anything that might complicate the process. It helped that Ryan's birth was much shorter and there was truly something to be said for having a support system present in the form of a supportive partner. Thus, she was not only lucid, but unexpectedly emotional when she watched her parents' awed expressions as they held their only grandson.

To say nothing of Luke's first moment with him. While Christopher had been awkward, nervous, and uncertain with Rory, Luke was just the opposite. Quite familiar with the holding and care of tiny humans, and so eager to hold his own, he looked comfortable and natural as he welcomed Ryan into the world, his voice choked with unshed tears and relief.

The last seven months had been a rollercoaster.

By the time Lorelai had finalized most of her consulting work in New Hampshire, construction on Luke's cafe, officially christened "Upstairs", was well underway, and negotiations regarding April's custody arrangement had begun.

While the final court-approved document still gave Anna an edge, in the end, April tended to split her time evenly between both houses, as any time not spent at school was mostly spent in her endless extracurricular activities or with friends. And in the meantime, Luke's anxiety matched Lorelai's rapidly growing waistline inch for inch, as he remained overly focused on every possible complication. He hadn't realized how obvious his stress was until Zack and Jackson had taken him to K.C.'s for a beer and an awkward, but well-meaning fatherly intervention.

Lorelai's pregnancy hadn't been difficult, but she'd still been excessively careful, even cutting back to only the tiniest amount of caffeine before giving it up entirely her last month. Every test they'd had performed had come out perfectly fine, and Luke, typically untrusting, double-checked the results with April. Though she'd reminded him that he may want to consider trusting an actual doctor, she nonetheless made sure every concern of her father's was allayed by the best of her internet searching abilities.

It wasn't until Lorelai threatened to kick him out of the house for the remainder of her pregnancy that Luke realized he needed to work on his anxiety. It was either that, or worry how _his_ worrying was affecting the health of his wife and child, which seemed like an unnecessary compounding of issues.

Things had been a little easier after that, as Luke's unease evolved into excitement... at least until Lorelai's water broke.

Lorelai watched Rory check her watch for what seemed to be the millionth time.

"You don't have to stay, you know. He's here, you've met, and unless you want to watch me feed him in another twenty minutes or so, nothing else particularly exciting's going to happen."

Rory frowned at her mother's attempt to dismiss her. She'd been trying not to appear anxious about the arrival of another important male.

Miles was coming home.

While the appearance of her brother had given her one less thing to worry about, Rory was still desperate to make sure Miles was equally healthy. One week before the election, she'd gotten a phone call from a hospital in Germany, who'd informed her Miles had been relocated there after breaking his leg.

High on painkillers, Miles had told her, his voice full of excitement, that although the blast that sent him flying had put an impressive fracture in his tibia, he'd held on carefully to his camera. Unlike his leg, the camera was still in perfect condition (despite needing a good cleaning), and he went into great detail describing the shots he'd gotten of the explosion while mid-air, leaving his camera on burst mode, and his finger on the shutter release.

She'd laughed through her tears, and every conversation after that followed a similar course.

By the time Miles was released, Rory was in the middle of the election, and had somehow managed to compartmentalize her worries for a few days and focus on her job. Something about the combination of buried personal feelings during a highly emotional election had inspired Rory's writing, and another hit article made its rounds.

Torn between wanting to meet Miles in Vermont or head to Connecticut for the birth of her brother, Rory had been shocked when Miles scoffed at the implication he'd be headed to his parents' house. Instead, he'd be flying into JFK in New York, and driven the rest of the way to Stars Hollow by a lavish car service paid for by his grateful employers.

Rory glanced at her watch one more time and considered her present circumstances.

Babette was at the house making sure Paul Anka was being properly taken care of, and Rory was desperate to greet Miles without an audience. She knew there was still another hour or so before he was due in, but the anticipation of seeing him, and seeing for herself that he was alive, was suddenly overwhelming.

"I can't miss my swim meet tomorrow, anyway, and Mom said she'd bring me by to visit after," April yawned. "Come on, Rory, drop me back off at my mom's, stop at that twenty-four hour taco shack you like on the way home, and it'll kill a little more time for you before he gets here."

"Are you sure you're okay with me leaving?" Rory asked her mother worriedly as she stood, "You don't need me to get anything?"

"Eh, that's why I keep this guy around," she grinned, gesturing to Luke.

"Yes, that's why," Luke muttered, eyeing the bruises forming on the hand he'd sacrificed to give his wife something to hold onto during the worst moments of labor.

Things were a bit of a blur for him, but he recalled yelling at the doctor that they'd changed their minds about not wanting the epidural, and couldn't she see how much pain his wife was in? Dr. Grant had threatened to kick him out at that point. Realizing he was, once again, freaking out far more than Lorelai, he'd taken a short walk, several deep breaths, and gotten himself back together.

After bidding April and Rory goodbye, Luke collapsed into the chair where Rory had been sitting and rubbed his eyes. He hadn't realized he'd nodded off until he awoke to the sounds of Lorelai's voice talking quietly to their son. The clock on the wall told him he'd been out for nearly an hour. He looked up to find she'd unwrapped Ryan from his blanket and was resting him on her legs, which she'd bent up in front of her, as she admired her baby boy.

"Daddy even knew where the candles were, and he let me watch a bunch of romantic girly movies, even though we didn't really watch anything after the second movie. And that was when-"

"Lorelai," Luke gasped, "You are _not_ telling him about the... the night he was conceived."

"He won't remember being told, and for the rest of his life he'll hear his birth story instead," she laughed, running a finger down one of Ryan's long legs, and touching each of his tiny toes.

"Still," Luke grumbled. "There are more child appropriate stories. How about the first time we felt him move? That's a good story."

" _We_ , he says." Lorelai shook her head. "The first time _he_ felt you move, your daddy means. I'd already been feeling you bouncing around in there for awhile. But that day, we were watching the fireworks at the lake, and he woke you up and you kicked his hand to tell him to stop yelling."

"The fireworks going off woke him up."

"Mmm, I still maintain it was you yelling at Kirk. The kick happened _before_ they set off the first set of fireworks."

"Kirk was gonna hurt someone flinging around that flaming marshmallow like that," Luke started chuckling at the memory as he leaned over Lorelai and touched one of the tiny feet that had kicked him for the first time a few months prior, "I didn't yell that loud. It was the fireworks, Ryan, and you were pretty excited until they finished 'em off. And the day after that, we found out you were gonna break this pattern of girls we seem to have in our family."

Luke and Lorelai watched as Ryan squirmed on her lap, still uncertain about the bigger world around him. Lorelai swaddled him back up, smiled as he nodded back off, and realized she was eager to do the same. She let Luke take him and transfer him back into his little plastic hospital bed.

"You missed his second feeding," Lorelai yawned.

"How'd he do?" Luke asked, removing a few bags from the uncomfortable looking recliner nearby before settling in.

"Good. Expert already," she frowned at Luke's accommodations. "You should go home, get real sleep in a real bed. The sun will be up before you know it."

"Might as well get used to the lack of sleep," he shrugged. "Doesn't matter anyway, I'm not leaving."

Lorelai nodded, too tired to argue.

As he settled into his temporary bed for the night, Luke watched his wife and son sleep. He was tired, but it was the first quiet moment he'd had since Lorelai went into labor earlier; he knew such moments would soon be just as rare as sleep.

He thought back to where they were a year ago: newly married, finally able to shut the door on their rocky past, and very eager to move forward with what Lorelai so often referred to as their middle.

He would never forget the day they found out they were having a boy. Although a skeptic by nature, Luke had put so much stock in the dream he'd had the previous summer, expecting that their first child together would be a girl. And now that Ryan was here, he wondered if the older child from his dream would be another silent reminder in the back of his mind of things that might have been. Not a regret, though. He could never regret the journey they'd taken over the past year, and he wouldn't trade anything for the little boy he'd been getting to know since spring.

* * *

Rory shut the door behind Babette and reached down to scratch Paul Anka. April's idea to stop for tacos at the 24 hour Mexican joint had been a good one, especially after sitting in a shockingly long line at the drive-thru that had helped kill more time.

Her most recent text from Miles stated he was about fifteen minutes away.

She brought the bag of burritos and tacos into the library and set them on the TV tray she'd placed next to Luke's old couch - Miles' bed for the next few days until she could figure out how to get him upstairs without jarring his recently broken leg too much. She knew she'd probably have to wait for Luke to help with that, and he wasn't likely to leave her mother's side until they were all headed home.

Stretching, Rory sighed heavily as she processed the roller coaster of the past twenty-four hours. After managing to get more than a few questions into the press conference, she was already immersed in her second post-election article, her final assignment under her existing contract with Blast. After agreeing to take some much-needed time off and meet up with Scott and Hugo in the new year, she'd flown straight from Chicago to Hartford.

When she turned on her phone as she waited for her luggage, Rory discovered a voicemail from her mother, one from Luke, and a few more from April, all with news and updates about her mother going into labor.

Her cab driver took her straight to her grandparents' house where she retrieved her car and shakily drove straight to the hospital. Upon arriving, Rory was able to get in a few minutes with her mother before joining her grandparents and step-sister in the waiting room as they awaited Ryan's entrance into the world.

When they finally announced his name, she'd laughed as she realized her mother had lost the battle to name the boy after his father. Lorelai had been so certain she'd win. Somehow, she'd at least managed to get the middle name in, though Rory suspected Luke saw it as more of a tribute to his own father than himself.

She sat down on the sheet-covered couch and glanced at the mantle, noticing April had taken a few photos out of their collection and stuck post-its on the frames. "Coming Soon: Squire Danes", they read, and Rory chuckled to herself. Lorelai had made sure all three offspring had several photos taken together already and, overcome with a tsunami of hormones, cried over seeing all three together.

Hearing scuffling on the porch, Rory jumped up and ran to the front door, opening it to find Miles and his driver steadying themselves on the porch after having just finished navigating the steps.

She'd seen photos of his new hair, his head shaved by some of his new Army friends to keep his grooming as low maintenance as possible, but seeing it in person was a little jarring. The last time she'd touched him, his hair nearly reached his shoulders.

Eager to wrap her arms around him, but worried about jostling his injury, she held back for a moment and stared at his plaster-bound left leg, her hands fisted at her sides. It wasn't until she heard him speak her name hoarsely that she moved from her spot at the door and gently held him, only tightening her grip when he did, finally greeting him with a desperate kiss.

"I was imagining a full leg cast," Rory sniffled into his shoulder, gesturing to the plaster below the loose gym shorts that reached just over his knee.

"Nah, it's high enough as it is," Miles replied, kissing the top of her head before glancing down. "At least they had blue. I was worried I'd end up with boring white."

Rory giggled through the tears she hadn't realized had sprung up, and glanced over at his driver as he walked back up the porch with Miles' luggage.

"Let me get these bags inside and we'll get the invalid settled. I'm Chuck, by the way," he smiled, reaching for Rory's hand with his free one.

Regretfully, Rory released Miles and left him on the porch for a moment while she escorted Chuck indoors and gestured to the library.

"How was the drive?" she asked.

Chuck smiled wryly, "He dozed through most of it, but he was still coming down from his last shot of the good drugs when we first left, and he was pretty talkative. Kept telling me about you, how you met, how talented you are. Is it true you just got back from Chicago and got to interview our new president?"

Rory laughed and shook her head as they walked back to the porch, "Sounds like someone was exaggerating. I got a handful of questions in at the press conference, but no exclusive interviews. Still pretty exciting, though."

She frowned seeing Miles grimace as he leaned against the porch railing, "Time for more pain killers?"

"Um, probably. But I was gonna try and hop into the house to show you I'm fine, and just realized how bad an idea that was," Miles admitted with a pained smile.

Rory pushed back against her rising worries and, with Chuck's help, carefully escorted the patient and his crutches into the library.

After bidding Chuck goodbye, they sat on the couch, wrapped in each other's arms until the aroma from the Mexican food hit Miles' nose.

"Rory Gilmore, did you cook for me?"

Rory snorted and pointed to the bag of food, "Best tacos in New Haven County. Decent burritos, too. Only the best for my weary photographer."

"Daaaang!" Miles grinned happily and pulled a bottle of prescription pain killers from his messenger bag, "One week of bland hospital food, and I come home to this."

"Home?" Rory cocked her head.

Miles shrugged as he chased a pill with the glass of water Rory had placed on the TV tray, "Isn't that what you learned this year? Home is where the heart is?"

Rory felt herself tearing up again as she thought back to their time on the road together, back to last Christmas when even Stars Hollow felt a little empty until Miles arrived on her doorstep with the ingredients for homemade hot chocolate. She drew a shuddering breath and let herself fall onto his chest again, leaving a few tear marks on the collar of the Yale sweatshirt she'd sent him off with so many months ago.

* * *

Lorelai groaned as she dropped onto the living room couch next to Rory.

"Luke says I'm a back seat diaper changer," Lorelai grumbled, leaning tiredly against her daughter's shoulder.

"Miles said I was hovering too much," Rory replied, feeling equally pouty.

Lorelai giggled a little at that. Rory, between freelance work, had little to do these days without a presidential campaign to keep her busy. It had resulted in her being overly attentive, claiming she reserved the right until Miles had his first appointment since being released from the hospital. And while that appointment had gone well, and Miles was granted the ability to cautiously move around a little more on his crutches, Rory's concern for him hadn't diminished.

She recalled doing the same thing when Logan had recklessly thrown himself off a cliff in Costa Rica as part of his final Life and Death Brigade stunt, and tried to hold back a little, but found herself unable to do so. She'd done the same as a child when her mother had broken her leg.

Weeks later, though Miles was mere days away from exchanging his plaster cast for a walking boot, Rory's hovering still hadn't lessened.

"I guess he's right," Rory admitted, leaning her head against her mother's. "How's Ryan liking his birthday?"

"I think he approves of it. Luke said it's just my excuse to add another day of holidays; seven weeks old does not a birthday celebration make. And then he said we should start the process of putting away the Christmas decorations."

Rory shook her head, "Not until after New Years. Sheesh. And who does he think he's kidding? I've never seen a two month old baby photographed as much as Ryan was yesterday, and it was Luke taking most of the photos."

"Tell me about it. He tried starting with a shot of Ryan nursing before we even got out of bed on Christmas morning," Lorelai said with a yawn as she considered how nice her bed sounded.

"Not allowed without his little funny elf suit on first!"

"Exactly," Lorelai nodded. "Funny how just over a year ago, Luke and I were worrying about the place having too much space for the amount of people in it. And now look," she gestured to the stockings hanging from the mantle, hung from oldest to youngest (in human years): Luke, Lorelai, Miles, Rory, April, Paul Anka, and Ryan.

" _So_ much was different a year ago," Rory agreed. "I was still getting used to calling this place home. It _felt_ like home. But it was... new."

"And now?"

"And now..." Rory paused, thinking. "Miles is here. You're here. Ryan's here. It's home."

Lorelai smiled warmly and looked up, toward the hallway, as her husband walked into the room with their son, chuckling over something April, who'd arrived the previous evening, was telling him. Miles wasn't far behind, having gone to great lengths in order to determine the fastest and easiest method of getting up and down the stairs without assistance.

Rory wouldn't be there forever, she knew that. She'd already overheard her daughter and Miles discussing long-term living arrangements for the coming year, and the ideas they were throwing around didn't seem to include Connecticut at all.

But in that moment, for the first time in her life, Lorelai had everything she'd ever wanted and needed under one roof. It was a sharp contrast to a Christmas two years ago where she'd tried hard to convince herself that a life with Christopher could be enough, despite the ever-present ache brought forth by Luke's absence.

Luke took his place on the other side of her, handing Ryan over as the baby squealed and kicked, his face full of adoration for his parents. Lorelai beamed back at him and glanced up at Luke, the two of them both chuckling as Rory, Miles, and April began their usual debate over movie selection. As Luke settled in next to her, she glanced around the room, committing the small, fleeting moment in time to memory.

Moments like those, she'd learned, were the payoff for every up, every down, and every tear shed over the past as they solidified their future.

No matter what Luke had meant about being "all in" on their first date, after everything they'd been through, they'd only begun to touch on what it meant over the past year; it wasn't about a ring, it wasn't the house, the car, or the little boy they'd brought into the world.

For the first time since that first kiss on the porch of the Dragonfly, they not only trusted each other that they could get through the best and worst life could offer, but far more importantly, they trusted themselves.

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Seven. The number of completion.  
_ _There are references to seven everywhere in the last chapter, some hidden, some involving math, some blatant._

 _This fic was long, and took up a year of my life.  
Thus, the author's notes will not be short. If you don't read them all, at least read this next paragraph:_

 _I cannot thank you all enough for embarking on this journey with me, whether you read it without leaving a review, commented once, or commented regularly... whether you read it as I posted it, or are reading it much later... thank you._

 _I wrote this so that I would have a post-Bon Voyage universe of my own making, even before the revival was announced. I wanted to create a story I would want to read and re-read that resolved so many hanging threads and addressed things the show never has or could, but represented the characters and their world accurately enough to be able to see it clearly in my head. I hope I accomplished this for you, as I certainly did for myself._

 _I did not originally intend to post this. That others have read and enjoyed it is still such a foreign concept for me to grasp, but I am so glad I shared it with you. I do not have words for how I've felt about your feedback. Some things that were said genuinely moved me to tears. And I have so loved the conversations it's generated via PM. It's been hard to keep up with replies as real life stuff has gotten increasingly busy over the last few weeks, but I've read everything you've all sent._

 _Thank you for loving Miles (and poor Brett), and not hating me for having Rory end up with someone other than Jess or Logan. I'd like to think she learned from her experience with Dean and from watching her mother's endless back and forth with exes (Max, Chris, and Luke!). I feel Alexis said it for me at ATX: Each of Rory's boyfriends were during specific times in her life. After Bon Voyage, she was in a whole new era of her life and it was time for a new love. I suppose we'll see what Amy thinks in the revival._

 _Unlike most of my choices for things in this story, there is no interesting backstory behind Ryan's name. Luke and Lorelai don't seem the types to come up with anything too crazy, and there's no way Luke would've ever let Lorelai name their son Lucas (though I can absolutely see her pressing the issue). Ryan just... sounded right. And William, ugh, such a trope-y thing to do, I know. But it works for me as a middle name, especially with Lorelai naming her son after Luke, and Luke naming his son after his father._

 _This may have been my first fic, but it will not be my last. Working on "Defining All In" has reawakened my childhood love for creative writing, and I never would have seen that coming (though I love words, reading, writing in journals and for my job, this is so very different). I've got a few fics sitting in a folder that desperately want to be edited and posted (they were how I dealt with rewatching s6 and s7 so much while writing this, especially during times I was suffering through writers block); there's even a file named "GG idea bin" that's chock full of ideas to explore._

 _I do want to release this in ebook format for easier reading (again, mostly for me - I can't wait to read this for fun instead of with a critical eye); any news on that will go on my Tumblr (where "Defining All In" even has its own page). I have the same username there as I do here: jumpingcattlehockey. You can also find me on Twitter as JCHespresso. Please say hi if you're on either of those and we've interacted on here or you wanna tell me you love (or hate!) my writing. ;)_

 _Since I have been asked a few times... I also have not yet ruled out a sequel to this story someday, but do want to explore other stories before I start thinking too much about that. There is a final epilogue that I cut, and I have a few ideas floating around that could very well tell more stories in this universe. It will probably not be a novel-length fic like this again, but a few one-offs or something. We'll see what happens._

 _A huge, massive, big fat thank you to my dear friend, "Daisy" for reading through the rougher versions of these chapters, and for listening to my neuroses, helping throw random ideas and observations out there for me to use, and most of all for the endless encouragement._

 _See you around, my friends, and thank you again for reading._


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